New CIPD study | L&D professionals facing 'significant challenges' when tackling skills gaps

Addressing skills gaps is a top priority for L&D professionals, but they face significant challenges in delivering this, a new report shows.

The latest Learning at Work survey by the CIPD shows that while addressing skills gaps is the key priority for almost a third (29%) of learning professionals, they face challenges across the board in achieving this.

The report's findings show that L&D professionals are battling with a lack of capacity and a lack of priority from the business. In response, the CIPD is calling on L&D professionals to make greater use of data and insights to drive change, create impact and highlight the strategic importance of learning.

The CIPD’s report includes a survey of 1,108 individuals who have a responsibility for supporting learning at work. It found that while resources for learning and development have increased in most organisations in the last year, 53% of respondents working in L&D functions say their team’s workload has also intensified. In fact, only 59% of all practitioners surveyed agreed that they can respond agilely to the changing skills needs of their organisations, compared to 69% at the time of the last survey in 2021.