Skills development and training opportunities are not only good for employees, but are ways to improve workplace productivity and corporate profitability, according to results from a new Kelly Services survey.
The Kelly Global Workforce Index, which surveyed nearly 100,000 people in 34 countries, found that more than a third of respondents believed that employers were not providing enough training opportunities to meet their future career needs.
Baby boomers aged 48 to 65 were the most worried about the level of training they receive; 43% said their amount of training was not sufficient to upgrade their skills and advance their careers.
More than three-quarters of Canadian respondents believed their skills will be outdated within five years.
Karin French, Kelly Services vice-president and managing director of Canadian operations, said in an increasingly competitive global economy, investing in human capital can become a key competitive advantage for employers.
"Increased competition for jobs combined with technological change makes it vital that employees are assisted to become even more productive through the best training possible.
"Training may not be at the forefront in the present economic climate, but organizations that devote the resources may be more likely to see higher productivity and profitability in the future."
The survey found that 82% of employees aged 30 to 47 believed their skills will need to be upgraded within the next five years to keep pace with changes in the workplace.
But respondents were not satisfied with the training opportunities provided by their employers. Almost half said their human resources departments were not helping them achieve their employment goals.
According to the survey:
77% of respondents said training should be a joint responsibility between an employer and an employee;
40% preferred on the job training;
32% preferred professional development courses;
19% preferred self-initiated learning opportunities, and
9% preferred formal university or college qualification programs.
Said French: "The current economic environment has made people very aware of their skills and whether they will be sufficient to survive the recession and beyond."