L&D professionals need greater organisational buy-in to address skills gap, finds CIPD research

The CIPD’s Learning at Work survey, launched today, finds that learning and development (L&D) professionals need greater organisational buy-in to help them chip away at the skills gap and deliver greater impact in their organisations.  

The research shows that learning professionals feel they're lacking the capacity to do this, and organisations need to make this a priority. To address this, organisations need more data and insights on the design of learning.

While resources for learning and development have increased in most organisations, over half of L&D professionals said their team’s workloads intensified over the last year. They're also needing to realign their learning strategies to support changing organisational priorities since the COVID-19 pandemic. Only 59% of them are confident in their ability to respond to the changing skills needs of their organisations  – down from 69% in 2021.  

There’s also room for improvement in the role managers play to support and encourage participation in L&D, to maximise workplace-based learning opportunities.  The great news is that L&D practitioners who consult about learning and performance needs, use organisational data and insights, and embrace technology can turn these challenges into positive organisational change.

Key findings in the report indicate that:  

• 88% of respondents agreed that the L&D profession offers a meaningful career.
• 63% of L&D professionals surveyed agree that they work collaboratively across the business to deliver business-critical priorities. 
• Over half (52%) of our respondents are innovating in their use of learning technologies and two-thirds successfully use the learning technologies available. 
• 25% of L&D professionals who embrace experimentation and digital curiosity are more likely to use emerging AI tools such as ChatGPT, while 13% plan to use it in the future.