Half (50%) of 16-24-year-olds and 25-34-year-olds have left a job because there were not enough training opportunities provided, contributing to the widening skills gap.

The research by Go1 also found that millennials (25-34 years old) are the happiest to learn new skills during the working day, with over four in five (82%) agreeing. Boomers (55+ years old) are the least open to learning throughout the day, with 70 percent of respondents agreeing.

Almost two-thirds (65%) of Gen Z (16-24 years old) are happy to learn whilst on the go – perhaps to fill the time commuting to the office.

A staggering two in five (42%) of engineers say that they haven’t been trained properly to do their job. Sales representatives and shop assistants follow on with 40 percent and 33 percent respectively of respondents agreeing they haven’t received the correct training.

 

Recruitment or adult learning?

A parliamentary committee report revealed that businesses are prioritising recruitment to fill the skills gap, which is estimated to reach 4m in the next two years, instead of offering appropriate training and further learning for the 41m working age Brits.

In fact, workers are so worried about the lack of opportunities to upskill that 78 percent are willing to learn whenever and wherever it takes, despite the balancing of other commitments such as family and friends.

 

Adult learning

With adult learning at a 23-year low according to the government, the role of businesses to provide learning and development opportunities has never been greater.

In the most extreme circumstances, 11m Brits (28 per cent of the workforce) don’t feel they have been trained well enough to do the job they currently have, suggesting a stark skills gap lurking in plain sight for companies.

“On-the-job training is one of the most important aspects of any employment, not least for the output but also for the wellbeing that it provides employees,” said Chris Eigeland, CRO and Co-founder of Go1.

“This study shows that Brits are crying out to be upskilled but too many businesses are overlooking this need in favour of recruitment rather than prioritising retention. With such a wealth of educational content available online and in person, there really is no better time to focus energy as an employer on empowering, upskilling and rewarding loyal employees by giving them the crucial training they so clearly want.”

 

 

 

 

Amelia Brand
Amelia Brand

Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.