SME employees seek training and development opportunities

Nine in ten UK professionals would be less likely to seek new employment if their current employer offered them training and development, finds a study.

CV-Library conducted the survey of 2,300 people to establish how the country’s professionals feel about training and development opportunities available to them at work.

Some 93 per cent admit to feeling more valued when an employer offers development opportunities.

Those most satisfied with training and progression opportunities at work are social workers, medical professionals and those that work in customer services.

More than two thirds of professionals would take a lower salary in return for sponsorship of a recognised qualification from their employer.

Furthermore, 70 per cent would even fund their own learning if it meant landing their dream job.

However, despite a clear eagerness to learn and develop, the study shows an overwhelming sense of dissatisfaction with what is currently available to employees.

Three quarters (73.1 per cent) of UK workers are disappointed with the training opportunities available to them at work, with only 26.9 per cent feeling satisfied.

Around 88 per cent of professionals believe training is essential to stay ahead of technology advancements and sector changes.

However, 43.4 per cent reveal that their employers don’t provide basic training to enable this.

The vast majority (94.3 per cent) of UK professionals believe adult learning needs to be increased and improved, with 93.6 per cent feeling the government should be making further efforts to subsidise adult learning.

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, says, ‘Learning something new keeps people invigorated and engaged and this has never been truer than in the workplace. Providing staff with opportunities to develop and progress is massively beneficial to businesses of all sizes.

‘In light of current concerns around skills shortages, there’s clearly a lot that needs to be done. With this week being Adult Learners’ Week, it’s the perfect time to start considering changes.’

Further reading on training

Ben Lobel

Ben Lobel

Ben Lobel was the editor of SmallBusiness.co.uk from 2010 to 2018. He specialises in writing for start-up and scale-up companies in the areas of finance, marketing and HR.

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