Skills development and company culture has become a competitive differentiator, particularly when it comes to attracting and retaining the right talent, and particularly now. Over the past two years, employees have been leaving their roles in droves.
The Great Resignation has seen talented people leave their jobs at unprecedented levels as they pivot towards careers that inspire and engage.
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According to Pew Research, one of the biggest reasons for this job migration is a lack of opportunity for advancement. The World Economic Forum echoes this sentiment while underscoring the importance of skills development in providing employees with the confidence and abilities they need to navigate the new world of work. Skills are also, says the Hopes and Fears 2021 survey from PwC, exactly what 77% of workers want.
People want to work for a company that puts personal and professional growth at the centre of its culture, and that will allow for them to invest into their skills and capabilities throughout their career. As PwC points out, a culture of learning is key to driving productivity and innovation within the company and with employees, and can deliver measurable business benefits across talent acquisition, retention, and revenue growth.
“Companies need to focus on strategic skills development initiatives that allow them to support employees on multiple levels, giving them the skills and expertise they need to fully engage with their roles within the company,” says Michael Hanly, managing director at New Leaf Technologies in South Africa.
“A culture that’s centred around learning and growth is more likely to create a workforce that’s invested in the company and its vision.”
Workplace of the future
Investing into a skills development platform and an ecosystem of ongoing professional development is invaluable. On a strategic level it delivers a measurable return on skills investment as employees become increasingly adept at their roles and agile in their approaches.
The PwC analysis found that a culture of learning that consistently upskills and supports employees is more likely to stay ahead of the digital pack.
The latter being a significant factor in organisational stability today as digital transformation takes the world past the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and into the Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR) where humans and machines operate in tandem, collaborating to achieve greater digital and operational heights. The latter is echoed by the WEF as being the creation of 21st century skills that are aligned with the workplace of the future.
In addition to putting people on a solid foundation for the future, skills development also allows for the business to build resilient employees that feel confident in their roles and leverage this to innovate, explore and transform.
This engenders role satisfaction as people feel like they have room to grow and the freedom to invest into their own success, and this satisfaction filters down into both internal and external engagements. Engaged and connected employees stay in their companies for longer, feel energised in their roles, and care about the customer experience.
“New Leaf Technologies provide organisations with pioneering online learning solutions, creatively charged content and powerful analytics thereby delivering memorable learning experiences designed to attract, enrich, and retain talent.
“Using the variety of training programmes, bespoke learning activities and practical learning and development solutions, allows organisations to charter successful learning and development strategies. With the continued support to build impactful training interventions, the business can take skills development beyond the traditional and into the extraordinary,” advises Hanly.
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