70:20:10 Model

The 70:20:10 model is a widely adopted framework in learning and development that describes how employees develop their capabilities across three distinct sources of experience. The model holds that 70 percent of learning occurs through on-the-job experiences, tackling real challenges, stretch assignments, and daily work; 20 percent occurs through social and collaborative interactions, including coaching, mentoring, peer feedback, and collaborative activities; and 10 percent occurs through formal learning interventions, structured training programs, courses, and credentialed education.

The model was widely adopted by organizations seeking to shift their learning paradigm from formal, classroom-centric approaches toward more continuous, informal, and socially embedded development. Its core premise is that the most durable and impactful learning happens in the flow of work, not in a training room.