Workers are feeling underprepared and undertrained for the jobs they have and the jobs they want to move into. Almost a quarter of all respondents said they need more education or training to get ahead in their job or career; 18% said it’s been difficult for them to pursue additional training; and nearly 42% said they aren’t aware of opportunities to get the training they need. At the same time, when considering factors that are important in how they earn money, 83.3% of all respondents said having opportunities for advancement was very important.
There are many ways employers can improve the preparedness and support the advancement of their employees:
- Provide more thorough and more hands-on onboarding. It’s important to ensure employees have what they need to succeed from the start.
- Lay out a clear career path. Also when employees start, map out the path to advancement so they know what they are working toward and the expectations around how to get there.
- Incorporate more frequent on-the-job training and cross-training. Many employers who participated in roundtable discussions as part of this initiative shared that they have invested more in internal training opportunities for their employees and/or incorporated more cross-training so employees are equipped to switch departments or fill in for absences or a loss in capacity as needed.
- Offer education supports. Tuition reimbursements, internship programs and work-to-hire models enable workers to get ahead and be more productive and committed employees in the long-run.