What is a learning culture?
A learning culture involves everyone in improving existing skills and learning new ones. This may include on-the-job training, mentoring, further education resources, or using upskilling and reskilling providers in or outside the workplace.
By implementing a learning culture, businesses experiencing rapid growth remain competitive and resilient to change. In a world where roles are more fluid than ever before, skills frequently develop and lose relevance, so it’s important to futureproof your team by equipping them with the latest skills and knowledge.
However, only 47% of UK employees believe that their job offers good opportunities to develop. The first step for any forward-thinking business looking to equip their workforce with scalable skills is to enrol their teams in training courses designed to fill the company’s skill gap.
The human impact of upskilling teams
Cultivating a learning culture puts your employees front and centre of your business. Not only does it improve the chances of everyone feeling engaged and valued, it gives your team the confidence to take on new challenges, which in turn gears up the business.
According to research by LinkedIn, employees who spend time learning at work are 47% less likely to be stressed, 39% more likely to feel productive and successful, 23% more ready to take on additional responsibilities, and 21% more likely to feel confident and happy.
There’s a knock-on effect too, as customers benefit when high-performing teams are continuously learning and looking for the best ways to meet demands and exceed expectations.
When people are supported personally, they’re more satisfied in their work, and more likely to work for future success, both for themselves and for the business.
Saving money on recruiting talent
Recent estimates suggest that upskilling existing team members could save you £49,000 per employee. It’s not just job ads and time spent interviewing potential candidates that you save on but getting your new recruits up to speed in their role, even then, there’s no guarantee that your new starters will be a cultural fit.
Your existing team are already committed to your business and are likely to think of training as a bonus, an investment into their career that makes them feel more enthusiastic about . Upskilling your team, means you retain your best talent and knowledge to keep you ahead of your competitors, while spending less.
The stats show that investing in training is a cost-efficient way to boost your talent pool. According to McKinsey, it makes strong economic sense to reskill an employee in around 75% of cases.
Placing learning opportunities at the heart of your business process will give you an edge when it comes to hiring the best people, reducing staff turnover and avoiding and redundancy processes.
Raise your team’s tech game
Forget relying on expensive contractors to fill key roles, by building a learning culture, you can rely on your current workforce to take your company to the next level.
Businesses of tomorrow and those experiencing rapid growth today, organisations that aren’t afraid to embrace change to stay ahead of the curve.
Tools like QA’s Cloud Academy allow your tech teams to train at scale for the most in-demand skills and because the platform is online, they learn in their own time in a way that’s convenient for them. And with a targeted training plan, HR teams can make sure everyone’s learning and career development plans align with your business’ most important goals.
Curious about how a learning culture can assist your business growth? Speak to one of our team to find out about the best training for your needs and sign up to our email updates here.