UK employees are “bored and disinterested” when it comes to workplace Learning & Development (L&D) and are calling out for more engaging and targeted development experiences.
A study conducted by City & Guilds Group business found that over two thirds (69 per cent) of UK workers are bored with the training on offer, which is a 10 per cent rise when compared to the global average of 59 per cent. However, at the same time, UK employees are not using this feeling to encourage themselves to attempt to train themselves. With only 43 per cent of UK workers likely to use their own time for training and 46 per cent looking in to e-learning solutions or online advice.
The findings also reported that 80 per cent of British employers say that even though their company have been proactive in taking steps to improve the skillset of the company overall, only 13 per cent of employees would strongly rate the L&D opportunities over the past year. As well as only 21 per cent feeling well equipped to do their jobs to the best level.
Most employers (81 per cent) are confident they have the budget and 82 per cent say they have the resources to invest in staff training. Still despite these encouraging results, 80 per cent of UK employees say they experience some sort of trouble when accessing L&D activity in their workplace, with lack of time (24 per cent) being a large barrier.
UK employees are asking their employers to offer a more tailored strategy in regards to training, and to better equip them with the necessary skills.
The improvement employees want to see are more engaging (37 per cent), personalised (35 per cent) and better quality (29 per cent) content in their L&D sessions. The feedback also pointed out that 23 per cent wish training sessions to be shorter and adapt to using a micro-style learning system.
John Yates, group director, corporate learning at City & Guilds Group, said:
The nature of work is evolving rapidly and consequently learning and development has never been more important. 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.
Even if budgets and strategy for learning and development are in place, businesses won’t see a real return on investment until training and learning are fully accessible to all. 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.
Candice Gardner, education manager at skincare company, Dermalogica said:
There is a constant battle between being broad enough to reach as many people as possible with education, and yet making sure learning is personalised enough to be effective. You aren’t going to get it right every time, but successful educational experiences come down to nailing the human connection – authentic trainers delivering content that has real personal relevance or worth to the individual. We believe learning must be accessible and trackable so people can see where the value is and how it will impact personal, professional and business growth. By keeping learning focused and responsive to the needs and goals of individuals, we are able to keep people engaged for the long haul.
The study asked 500 UK employees and 100 employers as well as 6,000 international employees and 1,200 employers across 12 other global markets.
Interested in L&D and the future of work? We recommend the Future of Work Summit 2019.
Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.
