Learning and development to steer us along the road to recovery

@educ8group – In over 16 years that I have worked with employers, experience has shown that in turbulent times learning and development can often fall down the priority list. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought challenges that none of us have seen, or indeed expected, in our lifetime, with the IMF describing the economic decline as the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

However, as we look to the future there is much to be hopeful about. The Vaccination Programme is progressing rapidly; Welsh children have now returned to school, meaning a thankful end to home-schooling, whilst the [i]number of UK businesses trading remains stable at 74%. Educ8 are, and have always been, here to support employers to not only meet business demands but to grow, and learning and development is crucial to that. We know that as we, and Wales, look to the future, investing in our businesses, our people and our communities will be vital to ensuring that noone is left behind. 

For Wales and its businesses to thrive however, it is essential that employees have the right skills and capabilities to adapt and deliver in challenging times. This should be a core part of any people strategy: [ii]Organisations that lead, support and develop their workforce effectively are 17% more productive and 21% more profitable, a LinkedIn Workforce Report meanwhile found that 94% of employees would stay at a company longer if they invested in their careers.

Apprenticeship Programmes provide a key focus for employers looking to retain highly-skilled individuals or recruit new talent cost-effectively. [iii]Globally, Leadership and Management skills are most in demand whilst the top 5 soft skills have altered significantly post pandemic to become more people centric, emphasising the need to equip managers with the tools they need to captain unchartered waters. 

Our team are very much used to seeing employee’s family members walking about in the background of a Zoom call, children saying hello in Team’s meetings or cooing over pets on Skype. We know the pandemic has had a significant impact on people and the way we work which is why it must be our priority to support businesses to continue their Learning and Development Programmes and invest in their people, enabling us all to build back better. 

By Ann Nicholas, Educ8’s Customer Accounte Director 

[i] ONS – UK economy latest

[ii] Accreditations | Make Work Better | Enquiries Form (investorsinpeople.com

[iii] LinkedIn Workforce Report – LinkedIn-Learning-2020-Workplace-Learning-Report.pdf