How A Culture of Learning Is Helping Skill The Next Generation Of Talent

The transformative power of reskilling and upskilling talent is no longer a luxury, but a necessity

We are in a midst of a “Great Knowledge Worker Recession,” where talent with niche and specific skills are leaving industries leaving a difficult gap to fill, hampering employers struggling to retain and attract top talent. This knowledge worker recession is the result of the business landscape rapidly transforming – especially in light of recent disruptive innovations like generative AI. As workforce reductions, a shrinking talent pool, and growing skills gaps continue, talent is forced to shoulder more responsibilities sometimes tasked with new challenges they aren’t yet prepared for. 

The World Economic Forum found 60% of surveyed companies highlighted the difficulty in finding the right skills as the main barrier to transforming their business. It’s never been more important to enable a culture of learning to combat growing talent and skills gaps.

As this trend persists, fortunately, workforce skill-development programs have only increased in importance. According to Pew Research, over half of employed U.S. adults (53%) who quit their job changed industries and careers leaving a skills gap in their wake. Unsurprisingly, employees show a strong interest in continuous learning, as a lack of skills development and limited career progression often lead to low engagement and high turnover rates. The modern workforce actively seeks challenges, and opportunities to take on demanding tasks and advance in their professional journeys.

But learning goes beyond career advancement. In today's dynamic landscape of evolving technology, we all have unique wants and needs in our careers. Through training, organizations can meet these interests head-on by not only fulfilling employees' needs for continuous learning but also developing an internal talent pipeline that encompasses both the business needs and the aspirations of its workforce.

No two organizations’ road to enabling a culture of learning will be the same, but we know that in order to be successful your learning and development program should be central to your culture. Integral to a successful culture of learning is enabling continuous learning, helping in encouraging employees to seek new knowledge through professional development activities. Organizations that value learning also promote open communication which in turn enables transparency, collaboration, and constructive discussions. 

A culture of learning would be incomplete without accessible resources, including online platforms, coaching programs, and in-house training sessions. Lastly, a learning culture is inclusive, offering opportunities for all employees to expand their skillsets and knowledge, and addressing organizational needs through reskilling and upskilling.

Employees are just one part of the equation. While they may be responsible for building their own development plans, they can’t do it alone. It will be important that leadership is not only supportive but driving organizational learning. In order to successfully roll out a culture of learning, leadership must empower its talent to learn, fostering a community of learners that share their experiences, while also leading by example and developing skills of their own. By embracing a growth mindset for their talent and themselves, an entire organization is encouraged to embrace challenges and find solutions together. Good leaders enable a culture of learning but great leaders join in and show up for learning. Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, is a great example of this – every week, he shares what he is learning to show the importance of a growth mindset. 

How and where we learn might look different, especially as remote and hybrid work models become permanent fixtures, so it’ll be paramount to ensure a training model that is as hybrid, diverse and dispersed as your workforce. Location isn’t the only challenge for business leaders – disruption from AI and continued calls for sustainable and ethical practices will further disrupt the global workforce. This influx of AI tools will also create opportunities and challenges for businesses in the future that we must begin preparing for today. 

That’s half the challenge; not only will we need to ensure we learn about this technology so we can use it ethically and correctly, but leaders must employ empathy during these transformative times (especially as people grow increasingly anxious technology like AI will eliminate the need for a human workforce). While it seems daunting, technology like AI will yield opportunities for more growth. 

As the “future of work” continues to change, skill-building must be a priority for all leaders. Workforces must feel confident and ready to take on tomorrow’s challenges, today. Enabling a culture of learning will help. But learning doesn’t stop at employees – It’s up to leadership to not only get buy-in from their workforce but fellow members of the leadership team. What you implement today must be scalable and continue to involve new technologies like AI and empower entire workforces that are dispersed and diverse. It’s time to get curious about learning – enabling a culture of learning is your answer. 

Anju Choudhary is Global Head of Content – Leadership and Business - at Skillsoft.