Research: workforce and company learning needs don�t align

• Nearly half of employers think their employees want leadership training; yet just 32% of employees say they want it
• 46% of employers think their employees want to learn digital skills, yet just 28% actually do
• 28% of employees want teamwork and management skills, while 42% of employers think their employees want this
• Mismatched skill goals indicate serious underlying issues for employers and employees

Employers are failing to clearly communicate their company vision and understand the learning needs of employees, according to a report from GoodHabitz, the digital learning provider. Its research shows that 49% of UK employers think their employees want to take leadership training, for instance, yet only 32% of employees agree. In another example, 28% of employees want to learn about digital skills yet 46% of employers believe employees want to learn about this capability.

GoodHabitz surveyed 13,000 employees across Europe, with over a thousand in the UK. The research also included views of over 2,600 senior learning and development decision-makers, with over 400 in the UK.

The aim of the research was to uncover beliefs from employers and employees about personal development. It asked UK employees about the skills and capabilities they wanted to develop and for comparison, asked employers what they thought employees wanted. The results showed that, across all skills and capabilities, employers believe their workforce wants particular training programmes more than they actually do..

Tim Segers, UK Director of GoodHabitz, said:

�The mismatch we are seeing in our research indicates a serious underlying issue for employers and their employees. Training decision makers – HR, Learning & Development and business owners – identify the need for certain skills based on goals and objectives of the organisation. Yet if employees don�t find those skills or capabilities important to pursue, or if they are missing the �why� or a growth mindset, it creates a disconnect.

�Indeed, employees who don�t engage with learning offers may see career progression affected. This skills gap might not be uncovered until annual reviews are done, leaving employees in a place where they haven�t achieved the objectives set for their specific roles. Our research also found that 70% of UK employees agree they would be happier in their current roles if they had further personal development opportunities.�

When identifying the areas where employees want to develop themselves further, digital skills, teamwork and management, communication and language, as well as Excel courses stood out the most. The report shows that the difficulty lies in clearly distinguishing between what employees want to learn and what they need for their actual job role and career progression.

When thinking about the approach organisations must take to bridge the learning gap, Segers explained:

�The employer might need to refresh. Getting employee buy-in to the organisation�s and their department�s vision and mission can bring a great alignment of training needs. If learning new skills is not a priority for the organisation, then it is unlikely to be taken seriously by the employee.� Learning must be prioritised by both the employer and employee for learning to flourish – and to be pursued by both entities they must want to move ahead in the same direction.�

The GoodHabitz Personal Development at Work Report is available to download here.

GoodHabitz is featured in Training Industry�s 2022 Online Learning Library Companies Watch List.

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About GoodHabitz

GoodHabitz, founded in 2011 in the Netherlands, is a leading European provider of E-Learning solutions. By offering engaging and fun online courses, from soft skills to digital skills and languages, GoodHabitz contributes to the personal development of every employee. Various engaging learning formats make sure that the content is accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Coaches help to establish learning cultures in the organisation and all that for one fixed price. Currently, more than 2,500 companies, like Puma, ADAC or DEKRA upgrade their workforce with GoodHabitz. More than 400 employees are working for GoodHabitz in offices all over Europe. Please visit the website www.goodhabitz.com for more information.