• The main challenge that employees face when participating in training programs is the lack of time where they are ‘too busy with work’ (49%) and ‘do not want to take classes outside of working hours. ”(34%). Employers also cite “attending courses disrupting daily operations” (58%) as the main barrier when implementing training programs for their employees.
• In order to increase participation in training programs, employees want more support from their employers via “paid leave hours for training” (61%), “temporary coverage at work” (52%) and “short refresher courses” (43%).
• Employers believe that the top three methods of ensuring their employees have the necessary skills are through “more flexible arrangements for employees to work and learn” (43%), “the culture of a culture of self-learning ”(39%), and“ the introduction of more training methods ”(39%).

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – November 2, 2021 – The pandemic has placed more emphasis on the need to develop the skills and competencies of the workforce, so that companies emerge stronger and more resilient. Yet while many companies recognize the need to improve workforce learning programs, the recent initiative of NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB) Workforce Learning in Workplace Transformation (WLWT) Report^[1] revealed that more needs to be done to encourage employees to develop their skills to accelerate workplace transformation in the endemic world. In particular, the report found that time constraints are a significant barrier to employee participation in training programs.

Employees want more support from their business

According to the report, 88% of employees revealed that their companies and supervisors supported their participation in training programs. Yet the inability to find coworkers to cover the workload while employees are in training is a real challenge that many face. In fact, 32% said that more support could be provided to encourage employee participation in training programs, especially in the form of work accommodations to cover work while in progress. This includes hours or days of paid leave (61%), increased support from supervisors or supervisors to cover work temporarily (52%) or the provision of short refresher courses (43%).

Employers (58%) also expressed a desire to support employees on their learning and development (L&D) journey, responding to concerns that attending courses could disrupt business operations. However, it is imperative that employers prioritize improving the skills of their employees and recognize that training and development is an indelible element in accelerating business and workplace transformation, especially in the current situation. . Employers surveyed indicated that in order to ensure their workforce has the necessary skills, change needs to be made from the top down, with more flexible arrangements for employees to work and learn (43%) , cultivating a culture of autonomous learning (39% and introducing more training methods (39%).

Commenting on the findings, NTUC Deputy General Secretary Chee Hong Tat said, “Employers and workers want more flexibility in when, where and how they receive training. Our experience during the pandemic shows that this can be best achieved through a reliable online training platform. which offers quality courses that are relevant to meet industry needs.As part of NTUC’s training and placement ecosystem, NTUC LHUB is well positioned to be a strategic partner for government and employers to to deliver training results and to offer lifelong employability to workers through lifelong learning. “

Lack of time is the main challenge for employee participation in training and development programs

Time has proven to be the main challenge and the main obstacle to employee participation in training and development programs. Many employees expressed concern that they would have to participate in training outside of their working hours and were therefore less willing to participate, which contributed to the low uptake of training programs offered by the company. Employees mentioned that they are too busy with their work (49%), that they have family or personal commitments (34%) and that they do not have a replacement needed to cover their work while they are away in course (32%). This correlates with the perception of employers who believe that the lack of time during working hours is the biggest obstacle to vocational training, disrupting daily operations (58%), activity at work (58%) and lack of support or interest in the courses offered (46%).

According to Sean Lim, director of human capital at NTUC LHUB, “A commonly used framework by learning and development professionals is the 70-20-10 rule where 70% of learning takes place on the job, 20% through collaborative work and the other 10% through formal learning methods such as sending employees for courses and training. This framework ensures that organizations take a practical and holistic approach to employee development, while providing relief to employees because they can learn in various ways that are most natural to them. ”

To download the Workforce Learning in Workplace Transformation Report 2021, visit https://www.ntuclearninghub.com/workforce-learning-2021.

About NTUC LearningHub

NTUC LearningHub is Singapore’s leading provider of continuing education and training aimed at transforming the lifelong employability of workers. Since our incorporation in 2004, we have worked with employers and individual learners to provide learning solutions in areas such as cloud, Infocomm technology, healthcare, employability and literacy, l commercial excellence, occupational safety and health, safety, human resources and training of foreign workers. .

To date, NTUC LearningHub has helped over 25,000 organizations and completed over 2.6 million training places in over 500 courses with a pool of over 900 certified trainers. As a provider of total learning solutions to organizations, we also forge partnerships and offer a wide range of relevant end-to-end training solutions and are constantly working to improve the quality and delivery of our training. In 2020, we accelerated our foray into e-learning with our live virtual classrooms and, working with leading partners such as IBM, DuPont Sustainable Solutions and GO1, asynchronous online courses.

For more information visit www.ntuclearninghub.com

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