Majority of employees say today’s L&D and upskilling programs are ‘outdated’
Seven in 10 employees in the Asia Pacific region believe they’re unprepared for the future of work, according to a new study.
Nearly 70% of employees are concerned about not receiving the L&D and training they need from their organisation to remain employable and skilled in the future. A further one in five are ‘very concerned’.
Most also believe their roles would change due to digital transformation, however, 80% believe the training provided to them is not keeping pace with the changes.
On average, employees say they received training about three times in 2018. However, 82% voiced their desire for more frequent L&D and upskilling opportunities, found the Skillsoft survey.
Additionally, only 14% of those who received training last year rated having an ‘excellent’ experience, where nothing about the program could have been improved.
READ MORE: Employees 'unsatisfied' with L&D opportunities
Impact of digital transformation
About eight in 10 employees say their role is being changed due to digital transformation – with over a quarter (26%) reporting their role is being digitally transformed, and more than half (55%) stating their role is having a ‘slight’ digital transformation.
Furthermore, 86% of respondents agree the future of work is nothing without training and L&D.
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Despite this, they believe their organisations are not keeping pace with the changes, with over half (54%) of employees wanting more L&D and training opportunities online through eLearning courses, and 42% showing interest in microlearning sessions.
“Training, learning and development are critical to technology-enabled workplaces, yet many organisations are failing to deliver enough,” Rosie Cairnes, Regional Director of APAC at Skillsoft told HRD. “This is not just a ‘future’ problem; it is happening now.”
What’s worse, employees believe organisations are guilty of ‘buying’ instead of ‘building’ talent.
READ MORE: Why is talent mobility important?
Almost all those surveyed (90%) believe when a new role needs to be filled in their organisation, employers look externally instead of internally because they have failed to offer necessary L&D opportunities to upskill.
About four in 10 employees report that roles are filled with external employees all or most of the time.
“Hiring is far more costly than training and organisations are already grappling with a skills deficit in the jobs market,” Cairnes said. “Failing to invest in employee development also has a huge bearing on job satisfaction, morale and retention.”