The CIPD Learning at Work 2023 report, which is aimed at HR leaders and professionals in the L&D space, and surveys learning practitioners, looks at the priorities and challenges within the current landscape, and highlights changes those in the industry can implement to add value and encourage employees to thrive.
Key Takeaways
Addressing the skills gap is the top priority
It may come as no surprise that addressing the skills gap is the number one priority for learning professionals, with 29% of respondents citing this as their key concern. With the shelf life of skills in continual decline, it’s important to retain the right people with the right skills in order to continue to grow; it is therefore concerning that respondents report a lack of priority from business leaders, a lack of capacity and an overall lack of understanding about what is needed.
Learning & Development teams under pressure
53% of respondents felt that their overall team workload had increased over the past 12 months despite increases in budget for workforce learning and headcount.
An increase in proactive problem-solving
The survey reports that there has been an increase in L&D professionals being proactive in better understanding performance issues before recommending solutions, though at just 57% this still leaves many working on activities that do not improve performance.
Collaborative technologies have seen the biggest rise
It may come as no surprise as we continue to embrace new ways of working, that the use of collaborative technology, such as webinars, podcasts and social learning, all continue to grow post-pandemic. Those areas of L&D seeing particular support in this area include apprenticeships, job rotation, funded coaching and mentoring programmes. As we move forward and see increased use of AI technology, with 11% of those surveyed confirming they are planning to use this to some degree, the report suggests a priority should be embracing digital curiosity.
Two-thirds of those surveyed say they have a meaningful career
65% of those surveyed agree that working in the L&D space offers a meaningful career, though this was more common amongst leaders than practitioners in the industry, particularly when considering progression opportunities, earning potential and internal impact of the department. The CIPD therefore suggests that it is up to these leaders to lead by example and create opportunities within their teams to change this statistic, using their influence to retain talent in the profession.
Read the full report here: Learning at work 2023 survey report (cipd.org)
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