Employees say that reskilling can make or break their engagement and decisions about where to work.
The World Economic Forum has predicted that the world’s workforce will need “significant reskilling” by 2023. At the same time, studies show that employees want to learn and gain new skills. Yet a recent survey suggests that only 41% of workers say their employers are providing training to prepare them for the future. At the same time, 76% say that such opportunities would make their current or prospective employers more appealing.
According to survey responses, younger, newer employees are most likely to value future-focused training. The vast majority (89%) of millennials say they are interested in these opportunities, versus 81% of generation Xers and 59% of baby boomers. Full-time employees (79%) also are more likely to want this training than part-time (66%) workers.
Across several industries, up to half of employees say the future-oriented training they currently get isn’t effective. The reasons include: training is too infrequent, too boring, and too overwhelming or demanding.
Employees indicate that future-focused training not only will prepare them for their current and new jobs moving forward; they also say it makes them feel better about their work. Over three-quarters (81%) say that it makes them feel more engaged and happier at work, and 79% suggest that more frequent training would make them feel even more engaged. Workers also say they prefer training that is personalized (89%) and hands-on/on-the-job (87%). More than anything, workers say they want training that is easy to complete and understand (91%).
Future-focused leaders will be best equipped to help ensure that workers get the reskilling they need to navigate coming changes and developments. Among the characteristics of such leaders:
- They play an instrumental role in driving activities that will make a difference.
- They are always thinking about ways to be more efficient and effective.
- They are creative, critical thinkers.
- They actively engage people and hold them accountable for making personal contributions to organizational strategies and long-range goals.
- They create a clear strategy to drive future success and ensure that this filters throughout the organization.
- They determine how their operation can evolve, contribute, and continue to be relevant.
