More and more employees value the fact that their employer provides them with further training to help them develop their careers. But what motivates them to train and what types of skills do they require?
According to the data from the Fundación Tripartita, Since the beginning of the economic crisis, the number of companies investing in training has increased by 135%. 30% of Spanish companies are committed to training their employees. More importantly, this trend is still on the rise.
The economic crisis has coincided in time with a series of technological changes that have generated a knowledge gap between different generations of employees. If children used to be born with a loaf of bread under their arms, now they are born with a tablet. Therefore, the different speeds at which we workers move require an extra effort to catch up with each other, and continuous training has proved to be an effective solution.
Training is therefore seen by both companies and employees as a necessary investment in an increasingly demanding and competitive market.
Companies must commit themselves to training their employees, because only by having better professionals can they be more competitive in the market. This is a direct investment as it improves employees' skills, gives them tools to solve problems in a more optimal way, raises the level of employee satisfaction and thus their motivation. Finally, it creates a modern and dynamic culture that enhances the corporate image, thus attracting the best talent.
Employees, concerned about their individual and collective development, are often aware of the training areas in which they need to be strengthened. In any case, as a company, it is also up to us to develop procedures to identify these gaps in our employees“ knowledge and to offer them appropriate training to improve their skills.
These are the four training areas that your employees are clamouring for:
Knowledge of new technologies is the area of training most in demand by employees. In recent years, we have seen how information and communication technology is constantly changing, which requires continuous training to keep up to date.
Those employees who have grown up outside this technological boom need training to be able to adapt to the new tools and work methodologies that technology has introduced into companies. For this reason, it is common for employees to request training in IT, in the use of new applications and communication systems or in the use of devices such as tablets.
Not only workers with a basic level in the use of new technologies need to adapt to the new times, young professionals in areas such as marketing, design or programming, who master the digital world, also need to keep up to date with the latest working tools. This requires continuous professional retraining because their tasks depend to a large extent on it.
Another traditional area of knowledge that is increasing all the time is the learning of non-native languages. English is still the most demanded language, but it is not the only one. Due to the large volume of business that China generates for our companies, professionals are opting to learn the basics of this language.
Leadership and management training are the most interesting areas for employees with an executive profile. Training in business schools continues to be the first option for companies to ensure that they have true leaders to take the reins of their companies. For this reason, MBAs (Master in Business Administration) are the most sought-after courses, completing training geared towards senior management.
However, employees are not only interested in reaching top positions, but also in setting up their own company. For this reason, training related to entrepreneurship is one of the most in demand in Spain.
Innovation is one of the main concerns of companies today. Aware of this, employees know that knowledge of new methodologies is a very interesting point to boost the development of their careers.
Therefore, training in techniques such as Design Thinking is gaining more and more followers. This methodology encourages innovation in a more efficient way than other methods. In the words of Tim Brown, one of its principal ideators, “design thinking uses the sensibility and methods of designers to create customer value strategies for a market opportunity.”.
These are the four main areas of training that employees request from their companies. Training employees in these areas will undoubtedly benefit the company in both the short and long term. So don't hesitate, investing in your employees is investing in the future.
