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UK workers lacking opportunity to upskill
16 March 2021 Professional Development Retention Workplace Culture
More than a third of UK workers claim they are unable to develop new skills in their jobs due to employers not creating relevant opportunities, according to a new study.
The research by SD Worx, shows that during COVID-19, learning and development has been a key focus with HR teams trying to navigate how this will look in a post-COVID world.
However, over a third of UK workers (34.6%) stated that they are not receiving the correct opportunities to upskill in the workplace.
And half (49%) claim they had the chance to decide which training courses they would like to attend, showing that a sizeable amount of the workforce is prohibited from shaping their own development.
This is largely at odds with the way employees wish to develop. Overall, almost three-quarters of employees (71.6 per cent) stated that they are constantly trying to obtain further training and develop specialisations. In addition, half (49%) said they look at possibilities of attending training courses several times a year.
Employers failing to take heed of this could end up compromising employee engagement and staff satisfaction, leading to a failure to retain talent within their business.
Agata Nowakowska, Area Vice President at Skillsoft: “This research shows that employers are failing to provide workers with enough learning and development opportunities. However, it’s important to remember that providing training and options to learn new skills is not only crucial for business growth, but for employee retention as well.
“Having a structured learning and development programme in place shows employees that the company values their personal development. In fact, businesses with a strong learning culture have around 30-50% increased retention rates than those that don’t.”
Cathy Geerts, Chief HR Officer at SD Worx, said: “Employers often underestimate the importance of training and upskilling as part of their ongoing jobs.
“No employees wish to have the feeling that they are stuck in a particular job, especially with all the pressures and uncertainties of the global pandemic. If this year has taught us anything – it is the importance of flexibility, life-long learning and positive attitude as we collectively tackle problems and juggle personal and professional lives.”
“In order to increase employee engagement, it is crucial to give your employees the opportunity to develop continuously – to show that you value and invest in them – as much as you invest in stronger foundations for the business.”