According to a new report - Learning and Skills at Work 2020 - from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and Accenture, two out of three businesses have no clear training plans for their employees.

The CIPD and Accenture - a multinational professional services company - surveyed more than 1,200 employers and found that only 29 per cent of organisations claim to have clear learning and development plans for their employees.

One in five organisations fails to use any technology to support learning activities and many tend to rely on classroom-based training. The report goes on to state that skills development is being frustrated by the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic and calls for organisations to use digital learning methods, especially as skills development is being highlighted by the pressures of the coronavirus crisis.

Nearly 80% of employers have taken up learning technologies, with leaders showing signs of growth in digital learning, but barriers still persist - with only a minority of organisations adopting augmented reality, virtual reality and mobile applications.

The report showed that many in-house learning and development roles are dominated by face-to-face trainers - digital asset creators/curator researchers are rare and the majority of employers lack the skills needed to deliver training.

A link between learning and productivity was also suggested - of those with above-average productivity, 84 per cent said that their learning strategy is connected to business needs, compared to only 43 per cent of those with below average productivity.

Peter Cheese - Chief Executive of the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development – said:

“Learning has never been more important for business, the UK and working lives – we needed it before COVID-19 and we need it even more now. Yet this report highlights the gap between companies who know this, following through with strategic investment, professional practice, new technologies and time to learn – versus those who know the importance, but allow it to be the first thing cut from the budget. Within the report, there are some incredibly innovative examples of learning, which are developing new skills, behaviours and performance – at times like these we need these examples to be more commonplace.” 

Andy Young - Managing Director of Talent & Organization at Accenture - said: 

“Technology was already disrupting the world of work, and now with most of the workforce going virtual, the pandemic is accelerating the need to harness human and digital skills. While digital learning is commonplace in our personal lives, our report shows that many UK organisations have not invested in this as a competitive advantage, risking significant skills gaps. With new solutions such as virtual and augmented reality that simulate difficult situations, gaming technology, and films to encourage decision making and new behaviours, employers can revolutionise their training plans at a time when their people need it the most. The good news is that some leading UK organisations are getting learning right and seeing productivity gains as a result.”