Only 13% of employees believe the learning opportunities they’ve been given over the past year have been very effective, according to new research from Kineo, part of City & Guilds Group.
It found that although four-fifths of UK employees it surveyed said their organisation had taken steps to improve their skillset over the past year, these initiatives were not always hitting the mark. Only just over a fifth (21%) felt “very equipped” to do their job to the best possible standard.
Learning & development
UK needs national skills policy to address productivity failures
Employees also complained that learning was not always accessible – 80% have experienced problems accessing L&D activity, despite the same proportion of employers feeling confident that they have the budget and resource to invest in staff training. Lack of time to access learning was the biggest barrier for employees.
Over two-thirds (69%) of UK respondents to Kineo’s survey said that training content was not always exciting or engaging, significantly higher than the global average of 59%.
UK employees were also the least likely to invest personal time into training – only 43% said they had taken learning into their own hands, while 46% had looked to e-learning solutions or online advice.
Instead, employees are looking for a more curated approach, Kineo found. Thirty-seven percent called for their employers to offer more engaging content; 35% wanted more personalised learning, and 29% sought better quality of learning content. Just under a fifth (23%) thought shorter ‘bites’ of learning would work better.
John Yates, group director of corporate learning at City & Guilds Group, said that L&D “has never been more important” as the world of work evolves.
“While employers are making concerted efforts to upskill their workforce for the future, it’s concerning that current training may not be hitting the mark.
“Our findings clearly show that employees in the UK are crying out for new ways to learn and train, that truly cater to their individual interests and career paths.”
He added: “Employers need to deliver training in a way that makes it easier for employees to learn on their own terms, fitting around their schedules by harnessing technologies that enable a ‘Netflix’-style experience of L&D.
“Only by listening to the expectations of their workforce, and taking inspiration from global counterparts to develop an approach to learning and development that is both accessible and inspiring, can employers prevent this significant investment from going to waste.”
