What companies can do to make self-learning really work
Self-learning does not come about through appeals, but through good conditions – and formats that enable practice and transfer.
“Employees should learn in a more self-organized way” quickly sounds like an appeal. And appeals rarely succeed in everyday working life. Self-learning is not purely a question of motivation – it is above all a question of design: What conditions and formats make it possible for people to actually learn and apply new things?
Especially in times when new tools are constantly emerging and AI is multiplying information, self-learning skills are becoming very practical: those who can orient themselves and practice independently remain confident – even when conditions change.
Why self-learning often fails in companies
Not because employees “don’t want to,” but because typical stumbling blocks are built in:
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Too much material, too little practice
Much of the content consists of “information packages” – but without training, little of it remains accessible. -
No transfer
Content is learned, but not linked to typical everyday situations. -
No common thread
Material is scattered: links, PDFs, videos, chats. Anyone who wants to get started needs guidance. -
No repetition
Without short repetitions, no routine is established.
Self-learning is successful when companies actively implement these four points.
A model that helps in practice: Discover – Process – Prepare
Self-learning is not “reading once.” It has phases. And when formats support these phases, learning becomes stable.
Discover
Become curious, gain an overview, find and compare sources – using AI as a thinking and working aid if necessary.
Process
Classify, critically examine, consolidate: practice, repeat, put into your own words, relate to typical situations.
Prepare
Make it usable: notes, short summaries, checklists, examples – or even share/present content if it is needed in your job.
This is not theory. It is a very practical perspective: Which phase do our learning offerings support – and which is missing?
What companies can do in concrete terms (without a major project)
1) Make learning opportunities smaller
Instead of a “giant course”: short modules that answer a specific question or train a specific task.
2) Make practice mandatory (not optional)
A learning program without practice is like a cooking video without cooking. Even 3–5 short tasks can have a massive impact.
3) Make transfer visible
Not “What is X?”, but “What does X look like in our everyday life?”
Examples, scenarios, typical mistakes – this creates confidence in action.
4) Enable repetition
A quick self-check after a week often has a greater impact than 30 minutes of additional content at the beginning.
5) Consciously use AI as a learning aid
Not as a shortcut, but as support: generate variants, paraphrase examples, check understanding, create summaries as a learning product (not as a substitute for thinking).
A quick self-check for companies
If you want to know in 2 minutes whether your self-learning setup is working, these questions will help:
- Is there a clear introduction for each topic (what is relevant, where to start)?
- Are there exercises that not only test understanding but also train application?
- Are there everyday examples from real contexts?
- Is there some form of repetition (mini-check, reminder, second round)?
- Is it clear how AI can be used (and what it cannot be used for) without being off-putting?
If you say “no” to several points, it’s not a disaster—it just shows where the leverage lies.
Conclusion
Self-learning is not a “nice-to-have.” It is becoming a requirement for working in an environment where tools and information are no longer slowing down. Good self-learning formats are therefore not complicated, but clearly structured: introduction, practice, transfer, repetition.
AI can be a great help here – but only if it is used as a learning aid and not as a shortcut.