Employees today are more confident than ever about making career changes if they feel a particular job isn't working out for them. So, what exactly would make someone want to look for a new job?
A new survey by TalentLMS and Vyond found 41% of U.S. employees will look for another job in 2024 if their company doesn't provide them with training opportunities.
"There is a growing need among employees for training on topics and skills that transcend their job roles," Thanos Papangelis, co-founder of TalentLMS, said in a statement. "Personal and professional growth are not separate roads to success. Companies should invest in nurturing well-rounded professionals, acknowledging continuous learning beyond job specifics is essential in the ever-changing business landscape."
Employees are highly aware that training plays a key role in their success. According to the survey, 66% of employees think they need to develop new skills to be successful at their job. The survey noted that employees "realize the importance of cultivating new competencies through ongoing learning and aspire to upskilling and reskilling that never stops."
The survey revealed the top three non-mandatory training topics employees want are leadership and management (36%), mental health (35%) and use of AI tools (34%). Employees also want training that doesn't take too much time and is delivered in an engaging way.
"Employees are loud and clear when it comes to their preference for visual learning: 72% feel more engaged when interacting with training programs that incorporate short video content than with programs that don't," the survey noted. "At the same time, 7 in 10 employees remember information presented in a video better than information presented in writing."
Employees who received training last year said it fired up their careers. The survey shows 72% of employees have progressed in their careers because of the training they've gotten from their companies in 2023. Another 71% said they feel more prepared for the future because of the training they received in 2023.
In spite of employers covering a wide range of skills in offered training, more employees are pursuing skill-building and learning beyond their office doors. During 2023, 68% of employees improved workplace skills outside of training provided by their employer, according to the survey. Another 58% said they used social media to cultivate new skills.