Elevating Careers: A Shift in L&D Priorities
The report reveals a notable shift in L&D priorities, with a substantial increase in the importance attributed to helping employees develop their careers. What was ranked at No. 9 in 2023 has surged to No. 3 on the priority list for 2024. Approximately 30% of learning leaders consider aiding employees in their career development a top focus area for the year. The report underscores the opportunity for organisations to energise and retain talent by providing UK-based employees with career development tools and skills.
Top Tips:
- Create a Culture of Continuous Learning: Foster a culture that values and rewards continuous learning, aligning individual growth with organisational adaptability and competitiveness.
- Provide Personalised Development Plans: Collaborate with employees to create personalised plans tailored to their career goals, enhancing the overall learning experience.
Skills Agility and AI in Focus
To thrive in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the report highlights the need to empower employees to grow. A significant 76% of UK learners express a desire to learn more about using AI in their professions. The report encourages the use of AI to assist the workforce, freeing up time for individuals to focus on advancing their career paths. L&D professionals are urged to invest in their leadership skills to champion reskilling and business transformation in the age of AI.
Top Tips:
- Assess Existing Knowledge: Evaluate your team’s strengths and weaknesses through tools, surveys, or interviews, and map out a learning plan tailored to their adaptability.
- Provide Training and Resources: Build AI literacy through online courses, webinars, and events, ensuring upskilling is engaging, relevant, and flexible.
- Adapt to the Changing Landscape: Stay updated on the latest trends and best practices in AI, fostering continuous learning and open communication within the team.
Internal Mobility Sparks Progress
The report delves into the importance of internal mobility, citing that 27% of UK organisations have internal mobility programmes. However, only 14% of employees express strong confidence in their ability to make an internal move. Internal mobility is acknowledged for enhancing retention, adaptability, and cross-functional expertise. Overcoming obstacles such as external hiring bias and talent ‘stockpiling’ by managers is crucial for fostering internal mobility.
Top Tips:
- Drive for Progress: Avoid perfection and focus on small, achievable steps to build an effective internal mobility program.
- Promote Internal Opportunities: Companies with internal mobility opportunities witness longer employee retention, emphasising the need to invest in career growth.
- Upskill to Drive Mobility: Companies supporting skills development experience higher internal mobility rates, necessitating the creation of custom skills plans for employees.
Success Strategies for L&D Professionals
The report concludes by highlighting impactful tactics and bold ideas that can inspire a brighter future for L&D. A staggering 89% of UK L&D professionals agree that human skills, or soft skills, are increasingly important. The emphasis is on cultivating a purposeful vision, with agile skills identified as the most valuable gift leaders can offer to the workforce, the organisation, and themselves.
Top Tips:
- Lean into Analytics: Align learning opportunities with business strategies, enhancing data literacy to make informed, data-driven decisions.
- Build the Right Metrics: Focus on metrics delivering value efficiently, moving away from vanity metrics to those contributing to personal and organisational success.
- Polish Human Skills for the Age of AI: Prioritise ‘soft skills’ essential for navigating the demands and opportunities presented by AI, including interpersonal, presentation, problem-solving, and people management skills.
- Embrace Constant Growth: Provide engaging, personalised, and flexible learning regularly to facilitate consistent progress, adhering to the principle of “little and often.”
LinkedIn’s 2024 Workplace Learning Report equips organisations and L&D professionals with actionable insights to navigate the evolving landscape of workplace learning, fostering career development, skills agility, and internal mobility in the UK’s dynamic workforce.
