A survey of office workers has revealed that less than half of 16-24 year olds surveyed (48 per cent) feel that their training needs are being met by their employer, with 20 per cent of this age group working towards a professional qualification outside of work - at their own expense - to further their careers.
The research, commissioned by Skillsoft and carried out by independent research company Opinion Matters, also found that almost a quarter (23 per cent) of young recruits plan to leave within a year of starting a job, with over half (54 per cent) leaving due to lack of training and career development prospects. For the over 55s age group, over three quarters of those surveyed (76 per cent) feel their employer is meeting their training needs.
Training is often a double edged sword for employers with many asking why they should train staff, only for them to leave less than 12 months later and take that expertise to a competitor. On the other hand, not investing in the appropriate training will also have an impact on staff loyalty to a company and could hasten the exit of a valuable member of staff.
Speaking at Skillsoft’s recent Perspectives event, Simon Brown, Head of Learning Transformation at Lloyds Banking Group, commented: “Businesses need to consider whether they want to have the worst trained people in the industry and feel assured that they are going to stay with them, or have the best trained people and reduce the risk of them leaving by offering them challenging careers. Rather than worrying about losing staff to competitors, companies need to make that investment in people and then make sure there is enough in the role and organisation to keep people there.”
Commenting on the findings, Kevin Young, general manager, EMEA at Skillsoft said: “In today’s tough job market, younger workers recognise the need to set themselves apart from the competition and grab every opportunity to develop and climb the career ladder. Our research has shown that new recruits are hungry for knowledge, but current training programmes do not always meet this appetite, with many staff choosing to either invest in their own career development or leave a company due to a lack of training opportunities or progression.”
“Companies need to harness the enthusiasm and commitment of their staff - who are obviously keen to learn and progress - and help motivate and retain their best employees, instead of letting them slip through the net,” he adds.
For more information on Skillsoft please visit www.skillsoft.com.