As employee skillsets become more complex and harder to find, one would assume that organizations would step things up in terms of training. While there are some employers taking a more concerted look at in-house training measures, there are still those that believe employees should come to new jobs with an already established set of skills.
However, it’s becoming increasingly evident that younger employees are choosing to head straight to work opportunities and not spending years in colleges like their parents before them.
“Despite the strong shift toward employee-centric learning, many learning and development organizations are still struggling with internally focused and outdated platforms and static learning approaches,” Deloitte Consulting says.
New survey says employers are not doing enough to provide training for employees
According to the recently released 6th Annual Job Preparedness Indicator, a survey conducted by The Career Advisory Board, only 13% believe that their current talent development systems are well-aligned with corporate objectives. The survey asked 500 US senior level hiring mangers how well their internal training programs are supporting the goal of preparing tomorrow’s workforce.
Other interesting facts surfaced, including:
- 80% of the hiring managers relied on on-the-job training with one-third using mentoring and two-thirds using online or in-person learning programs
- 11% reported these efforts helped give employees the skills they need to be successful at work
- Only three out of 10 hiring managers feel they can accurately track the ROI of learning
- Less than half of the survey respondents indicated that candidates have the right job skills
- Many hiring managers are interviewing on average six candidates for every job type
The Career Advisory Board survey only goes to show the disconnect that leaders have concerning learning and its measurable impact at their companies.
Are corporate leaders simply disconnected, and looking the other way?
HR Dive recently highlighted another study conducted by LinkedIn learning that shows the disconnect leaders have about learning in their employees. A mere 4% of these leaders recognized the ROI that companies are gaining, but at the same time 90% of leaders think that learning and design programs help solve skill gaps.
Learning needs to be proactive and aligned carefully with every job type and where it fits into the corporate objectives. Spending months trying to find candidates with specialized skills is not cost effective, but training candidates who have the desire and potential to learn new skills is.
How to connect learning to ROI
The Career Advisory Board survey also provided some simple guidelines that help companies increase the ROI of learning initiatives. They advise all employers to seek out and leverage partners in educators for recruitment, retention and development of employees. In this way, companies can outline and plan for current and future skillsets.
Why is this important? First, it takes the pressure off internal teams to develop relevant training. Second, learning becomes consistent and meaningful when managed by a third-party.
Candidates can take advantage of current workforce trends by being active participants in learning. They should be regularly investigating the needs of employers and leaning towards training activities in these areas. Once completed, they should be able to highlight any special skills or learning experience they have to employers. By taking a closer look at company objectives, job seekers can align their personal career goals with the objectives of their dream company.
Tomorrow’s work landscape will look vastly different than it does today. Technology and the increasing shifts in the economy coupled with shifting work style preferences are the driving forces behind this change. Both employers and employees need to place learning at the forefront of their goals.
