The 70-20-10 learning model: Upgrade your employee training

What if the key to unlocking your team’s potential lies not in what they learn, but in how they learn? The 70-20-10 learning model provides a practical framework for building skills, fostering collaboration, and driving growth. 

In this article, we’ll explore how the 70-20-10 model works, why it matters, and how you can implement it to build a stronger workforce.

What is the 70-20-10 learning model?

First introduced by leadership researchers Morgan McCall, Michael Lombardo, and Robert Eichinger in the 1980s, the model reflects the reality that most skills are developed through doing, supported by interpersonal relationships and formal instruction.

The 70-20-10 model breaks down workplace learning into three parts:

• 70% from experiential learning: Hands-on work, real-world challenges, and day-to-day problem-solving.

• 20% from social learning: Collaboration, mentoring, and peer feedback.

• 10% from formal learning: Structured courses, workshops, and certifications.

The 70-20-10 model mirrors how people naturally learn. It also shifts organizations away from costly, traditional training programs by emphasizing practical and continuous learning.

Why the 70-20-10 model matters to businesses 

The 70-20-10 model offers a balanced approach to employee development for businesses. The model incorporates practical experience, social learning, and formal training in career development.

By allocating 70% of learning to on-the-job experiences, employees gain hands-on skills that directly contribute to organizational goals. The 20% dedicated to social learning fosters collaboration, mentoring, and knowledge sharing among employees. Meanwhile, the 10% for formal education offers foundational knowledge and skill-building. 

This model is useful for businesses because it prepares your employees for real-world challenges with practical training. That means you can build a workforce that is adaptable, skilled, and engaged, ultimately driving business growth and competitiveness.

How to implement the 70-20-10 model

Implementing the 70-20-10 model doesn’t require a complete overhaul of your training programs. You can balance your current approach to create a more dynamic learning culture.

Here are some simple steps to implement the 70-20-10 model in your business:

1. Assess your current learning practices

Start with a comprehensive assessment of your organization’s existing learning practices to identify strengths, gaps, and areas for improvement.

• Evaluate on-the-job learning opportunities: Analyze whether employees have sufficient opportunities to engage in meaningful, hands-on projects that build their skills in real-world scenarios. Look for bottlenecks, such as repetitive tasks that don’t foster growth or limited access to cross-functional assignments.

• Review social learnings: Examine how effectively employees learn through interactions with peers, mentors, and leaders. Assess the availability and quality of mentoring programs, team collaborations, peer feedback mechanisms, and communities of practice. Identify gaps in social support that could hinder knowledge sharing and collective growth.

• Analyze learning programs: Audit your current training programs, workshops, and platforms to determine their relevance, accessibility, and impact. Ensure that these programs are strategically designed to complement the experiential and social learning components rather than functioning in isolation.

• Gather employee feedback: Conduct surveys, focus groups, and interviews to understand employee perspectives on current learning opportunities. Identify perceived barriers to learning and areas where employees feel additional support or resources are needed.

• Benchmark against industry standards: Compare your practices with industry best practices. For example, you can identify successful examples of experiential, social, and formal learning integration in similar organizations or industries.

2. Prioritize experiential learning 

Experiential learning is the cornerstone of the 70-20-10 model. It helps employees develop skills through real-world, hands-on experiences.

• Assign cross-functional projects: Encourage employees to participate in cross-departmental initiatives where they can learn from different perspectives and gain exposure to new processes. For example, a marketing professional might work on a product development team to understand how customer insights influence design and innovation.

• Encourage employees to lead initiatives: Provide opportunities for employees to take ownership of key initiatives, such as leading team meetings, spearheading process improvements, or managing new projects. Leadership roles, even on a small scale, develop critical skills like decision-making, strategic thinking, and communication. Empower employees by giving them the autonomy to make decisions and solve problems within their initiatives.

• Incorporate stretch assignments: Offer tasks or projects that are slightly beyond your employee's current skill level, requiring them to learn and adapt to succeed. For instance, a junior team member can volunteer for preparing a high-stakes report or working directly with senior stakeholders. These assignments promote accelerated learning and personal growth.

With experiential learning, organizations not only equip employees with the skills needed for their current roles but also prepare them for future challenges.

3. Support social learning 

Social learning leverages the power of relationships, collaboration, and shared experiences to enhance learning. Encourage your team members to learn from peers, mentors, and leaders to create a culture of continuous improvement and collective growth. 

Here are some ideas for social learning:

• Mentoring program: Develop a structured mentoring program that pairs experienced employees with those seeking growth. Define clear objectives for the program, such as knowledge transfer, career development, or skill-building. Encourage regular check-ins and provide resources to help mentors and mentees maximize their interactions.

• Organize peer-led training and knowledge sharing: Empower employees to share their expertise with colleagues by leading workshops, lunch-and-learns, or training sessions. Peer-led training can be more more relatable and practical to participants.

• Support informal learning opportunities: Create spaces (virtual or physical) where employees can casually discuss challenges and solutions. This could include virtual coffee chats, online forums, or company-wide town halls where employees can ask questions and share insights.

With social learning, you improve collective intelligence and ensure knowledge flows freely across teams and departments.

4. Use formal learning strategically 

Foundational knowledge and skills complement experiential and social learning. Formal learning also ensures that your employees have the training they deserve to excel in their roles. 

• Identify key learning objectives: Pinpoint the skills, knowledge, or certifications your employees need to reach their goals. Focus on areas where formal training can bridge gaps, like compliance requirements, or leadership development.

• Schedule regular training opportunities: Create a structured schedule for formal learning that matches organizational priorities and employee development plans. For instance, you might offer quarterly workshops on leadership skills or provide annual refresher courses on compliance.

• Connect formal learning to career development plans: Include formal learning as part of individual development plans (IDPs) to support long-term growth. For example, an employee aspiring to move into management might complete leadership training as a step toward promotion.

• Measure training effectiveness: Collect feedback from participants to assess the relevance and quality of formal learning programs. Use metrics such as completion rates, knowledge retention, and post-training performance to determine the impact of your training programs. 

The right tools for the 70-20-10 framework 

The 70-20-10 learning model is more than a framework‌ — ‌it’s a way to train your employees for building a resilient workforce. By emphasizing hands-on experiences, social connections, and targeted formal training, you can create a culture of continuous learning and growth.

But even with the best strategy, you need the right tools to realize your vision. Your trained employees also need a platform where they can apply their learnings and document their growth. 

With Remote HR Management, your employees can access all their data and documents, change payroll preferences, manage expenses, and more. Our feature-rich mobile app also allows your team members to handle HR tasks on the go, so they can document their career journey whenever they are inspired. 

To see how Remote HR Management can help you upgrade your employee training based on the 70-20-10 framework, chat with an expert today. 

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