Learning and development has become an increasingly important part of what employees expect from their employers,  particularly for younger generations building their careers.

Research has repeatedly highlighted opportunities for learning, career development and progression as important factors in the employee experience for Gen Z and Millennial workers.

For employers, that makes learning and development (L&D) much more than a training budget or employee benefit. It can play an important role in developing skills, supporting engagement, strengthening retention and building the next generation of leaders.

Why does learning and development matter to Gen Z and Millennials?

Gen Z and Millennials have entered the workplace in a world where information is readily available and technology continues to change how we learn, communicate and work.

As a result, access to development can form an important part of the questions people ask when considering an employer:

• Will I have opportunities to develop my skills?
• Can I see how I can progress here?
• Will my manager support my development?
• Does the organisation invest in its people?

For employers, these are important questions.

Developing people internally can help organisations retain knowledge and capability, build future leaders and address skills gaps before they become bigger business challenges.

Can learning and development improve employee retention?

Training alone won’t make somebody stay in an organisation.

Pay, leadership, culture, workload, flexibility, progression and many other factors all influence an employee’s decision to stay or leave.

However, creating meaningful opportunities for people to learn and progress can demonstrate that an organisation is prepared to invest in their future.

And that matters.

In business, people buy from people… and people often stay because of people too.

Managers therefore have an important role to play. Development isn’t simply about sending somebody on a course; it’s about having conversations about their ambitions, identifying skills gaps, providing feedback and creating opportunities to apply new skills.

What type of training do younger employees need?

Rather than assuming that every member of a generation wants to learn in the same way, organisations need to think about both how people learn and what skills they’ll need for the future.

Technology and AI are changing roles quickly, but that arguably makes our human capabilities even more important.

Communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, adaptability, collaboration and self-awareness are sometimes described as soft skills. Personally, I prefer essential skills.

There is nothing soft about them. They affect almost every aspect of our personal and professional lives and will continue to matter as technology changes the tasks we perform at work.

Developing self-awareness and communication skills

Understanding ourselves, our strengths, communication preferences and development areas, can provide a valuable foundation for career development.

Psychometric development tools such as Insights Discovery® can help individuals develop greater self-awareness while giving teams a shared language for exploring communication and behavioural preferences.

For somebody relatively early in their career, developing these skills can help build the foundations for working effectively with different people, navigating workplace relationships and eventually stepping into greater responsibility.

Building the next generation of leaders

Ultimately, investing in younger employees isn’t simply about responding to the expectations of Gen Z or Millennials.

It’s about workforce planning.

The people developing their skills today may be your managers, specialists and senior leaders of tomorrow.

Organisations that understand their current and future skills gaps, create meaningful development opportunities and give people the chance to apply what they learn are better placed to build capability from within.

So perhaps the question for employers isn’t simply:

“What training do our younger employees want?”

It’s:

“What capabilities will our organisation need in the future,  and how are we developing our people to build them now?”

If you would like to run a skills gap analysis for your team, click HERE to complete our L&M form and we will contact you with your personalised results.

Bryony Moore
Bryony is a Leadership and Management Trainer, Consultant and Coach at Jarrold Training, specialising in leadership development, coaching, workplace culture and Insights Discovery®. She works with organisations to develop people and teams through practical learning and consultancy that supports both individual and business performance.