A new study* of workers investigating the impact learning and development (L&D) has on individual career growth and workplace happiness. The findings reveal that workers feel ineffective managers and a lack of training and development are holding them back in their careers – with many thinking promotions are based on popularity, rather than skill.

The new report – From Skills to Success: L&D Insights for the Modern Workforce – details the findings of a survey of 4,500 workers, including 2,000 UK respondents, 2,000 US and 500 from Mexico. The research suggests that quality of L&D has a direct impact on employees’ sentiment towards their employer and their propensity to leave – particularly for younger workers. Key findings include:

• Lack of L&D is making younger workers want to quit: 77% of UK workers (70% globally) feel their organisation’s L&D could be better; 31% of whom said this was negatively impacting their job satisfaction (36% globally) and 37% that it was making them consider leaving (compared to 36% globally) – with 18-34 year olds being the most likely to want to leave (44%).
• Managers are failing their teams: While 73% of UK workers (75% globally) think people with more vocal and attentive managers are more likely to be promoted, 50% (53% globally) say their manager is under equipped to help them progress in their career.
• Employees feeling adrift in the workplace: 68% of UK workers (69% globally) would welcome guidance and training to help them navigate the ‘unspoken rules’ of the workplace. Meanwhile, 63% of UK workers feel that school / college / university has left them unprepared for the workplace (56% globally), with 67% of 18-24 year olds agreeing.
• Lack of trust is making workers sceptical: 55% of UK workers (54% globally) do not trust HR to look out for their interests, while one in ten UK workers (9% globally) say they’d feel ‘sceptical and unconvinced’ if they were offered bespoke training, as they would question the motives behind it.
• Those who are more visible get ahead: 66% of UK workers (65% globally) say progression is based more on popularity than competency and 74% of UK workers (72% globally) have seen people who don’t deserve it get promoted – with introverts feeling frozen out of advancement opportunities.

“Given that retention was the number one priority for HR professionals going into 2024, it is vital that organisations take a closer look at their L&D offerings to ensure they can compete for talent. The research shows us that employers that offer continuous skills development and make employee development a priority are set to have an edge over the competition,” comments Graham Glass, founder, and CEO of CYPHER Learning. “Transparency is key to building trust. People need to know that their future does not rest solely in the hands of an incompetent or disinterested manager. But a third of respondents say there is no formal process for tracking skills progression.”

The research shows that if companies can get training right, it can have a hugely positive effect. 23% of UK employees (30% globally) said that training they received was “exceptionally rewarding” – leaving them feeling “truly enlightened and invigorated.” Moreover, 22% (30% globally) reported feeling ‘highly valued and empowered’ by their employer and that they feel ‘deeply appreciated and recognized’ thanks to the continuous investment in their development.

However, many are not being given this opportunity. 15% of UK workers (16% globally) have received no training at all in the past twelve months. A lack of development opportunities was considered to have a direct negative impact on career prospects:

• 40% of UK workers (43% globally) say their company’s insufficient workplace training is holding them back from advancing their career.
• 40% of UK workers (42% globally) say their workplace doesn’t offer the training they need to do their role effectively.
• 71% of UK workers (68% globally) say workplace training is often a one-size-fits-all that doesn’t feel very personalised to them and their needs.

When considering what people want from training, it was found that:

• 88% of UK workers (89% globally) would feel encouraged and enthusiastic if offered bespoke training for their role, ‘depending on the content and delivery of the programme.’
• 90% of UK workers would feel encouraged and enthusiastic if offered bespoke training for their role, assuming the content and delivery were right – with 64% of UK workers (63% globally) wanting that training to be delivered at the point of need.
• Soft skills are valued as highly as technical skills across all regions – with leadership ranking as the number one area that workers would like training in, followed by role-specific skills and critical thinking.
• Leadership also ranked as the number one area that workers think their manager needs training in, with listening in second place, and collaboration and team management in third (again consistent globally).

“A workforce that feels valued, inspired and invigorated is worth its weight in gold,” Glass concludes. “When a continuous culture of learning is created, employees are given the tools to thrive and grow. That is the power that a structured L&D programme can deliver. We can see that workers are craving training that is delivered at the right time, in the right way, that is relevant to them. This is achievable. With a new generation of AI-enabled L&D, timely, cost effective personalisation at scale can be a reality.”

*CYPHER Learning