Skillsoft Launches Milestone Report Uncovering State of UK Skills Deficit
1. Skillsoft Launches Milestone Report Uncovering State of UK
Skills Deficit
CAMBERLEY, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Skillsoft,
a pioneer in the field of learning and talent management, today launches
its 'Skill Builders Versus Skill Buyers' report, investigating how UK
businesses are approaching the skills deficit and the responses
organisations have to workforce development challenges, and recruitment.
In conjunction with industry researcher, Censuswide, Skillsoft spoke
with more than 500 business leaders to gather information on staff
training and talent development within their organisations. Many UK
businesses are reporting
that since the financial crisis of 2008 an endemic skills shortage is
hampering market growth efforts. In order to combat this, organisations
are resorting to external recruits in a bid to hire in new skills and
talent.
Skill Builders Versus Skill Buyers key highlights:
Building for performance - 86 percent of UK businesses identify
their organisations as skill builders, but in truth 31 percent have no
formal programme in place
High prevalence of 'skill buyer' behaviour: over half of
respondents (55 percent) confirmed they are more likely to recruit
externally to address skills shortages
Buying for growth: Just 20 percent of businesses have aligned
Learning Development (LD) programmes to organisational growth
"As the business landscape is focused so much on growth, there has never
2. been a better time to investigate the skills deficit and how important
talent development is to organisational success," said Kevin Young,
Managing Director, EMEA, Skillsoft. "To create a highly skilled
workforce that will continue to drive productivity, business leaders
need to look within the organisation first. Ensuring existing employees
are being taught the correct skills to develop them into leaders will
not only boost employee performance but future proof the business."
The report found that UK business leaders widely appreciate the need for
skill building. 86 percent of respondents identified themselves as
investing in internal employee development to fill the necessary gaps
throughout the organisation. However, in reality, the LD programmes in
place tend to be reactive responses to specific problems, and just
one-fifth of employers expected to fill open roles internally. In order
to stay competitive within the wider business market businesses are
actually operating as 'Skill Buyers' to boost the workforce, especially
at C-level positions, with more than 26 percent of organisations
expecting to look externally to fill leadership roles.
LD programmes are widely recognised as a means for improved employee
satisfaction. 66 percent of businesses surveyed by Skillsoft identified
staff motivation as a reason to implement LD into their organisation,
while 70 percent agreed these programmes indicated clear career
development paths. In order to boost organisational performance
businesses need to align workforce skills with broader marketplace goals
to produce better, more strategic business outcomes.
"The pressures of new business innovations mean today's leaders need to
quickly adapt their LD programmes," added Young. "Skillsoft has
3. uncovered that businesses which successfully integrate learning
throughout their organisation will deepen their talent pool at every
level, creating an agile, productive and creative workforce. To support
Skillsoft's ever expanding portfolio of development solutions in a
landscape in a constant state of flux, we continue to prioritise skill
building to address these challenges and ensure businesses remain
productive and profitable."
To read the full report visit here:
http://www.skillsoft.com/assets/offers/SK0156_Research_Report.pdf
About Skillsoft
Skillsoft is a pioneer in the fields of learning and talent management
with a long history of innovation. Skillsoft provides cloud-based
learning solutions for its customers worldwide, ranging from global
enterprises, government, and education to mid-sized and small
businesses. Skillsoft's customer support teams draw on a wealth of
in-house experience, flexible delivery platforms and a comprehensive
learning e-library to develop off-the-shelf and custom learning programs
tailored to cost-effectively meet customer needs. Skillsoft's courses,
books and videos have been developed by industry leading learning
experts to ensure that they maximise business skills, performance, and
talent development.
Skillsoft currently serves over 6,000 customers and more than 19,000,000
learners around the world. Skillsoft is on the web at www.Skillsoft.com
