Companies are competing in the "War for Talents" for the best (young) professionals. Why continuing education plays a central role in this battle is shown by three facts from a current study.
About the study: The War for Talents 360 Degree Study was conducted in Austria in early 2019. Both employees and HR professionals answered questions about job and personnel search, the attractiveness of companies, and training opportunities. You can download the study here – we summarize the key points in this article for you.
Fact 1: A massive shortage of skilled workers affects two out of three companies!
The shortage of skilled workers has been causing major problems for companies across all sectors in Germany for years: More than a million positions were unfilled in 2019! According to the study, two out of three companies in Austria are affected by the shortage of skilled workers.
But what can companies do to combat the shortage of skilled workers, the "War for Talents"? In the study, over 60% of respondents indicate they aim to overcome this shortage with the following three measures:
Measures to retain employees within the company.
Measures for brand management (keyword employer branding).
Increased investments in employee training.
Highlighted in green: 62% of companies want to invest more in employee training.
Fact 2: Continuing education is relevant for the choice of employer!
Over 75% of surveyed employees respond to the question of how important continuing education is to them with "very important" or "rather important".
Moreover, it becomes clear: The younger the employees, the more important training opportunities are for them!
This high relevance of training offerings is also reflected in the choice of employers: Training and further education rank third among the most attractive benefits that companies can offer their applicants. Therefore, continuing education is almost as interesting for employees as additional vacation!
The top benefits for applicants: Training offerings (green) are important for the choice of company.
Fact 3: Personal development is also important!
Those who think of continuing education primarily as classic management training are not entirely off the mark – but overlook two even more important forms of training:
Attractively grouped training options rank first in specific professional education. Just behind them, offers for personal development can be found. Management training comes in a distant third place.
Personal development is more important to employees than management training.
3 Learnings for Companies
Companies must invest more money in training offerings to remain attractive as employers.
Comprehensive training offerings are extremely important to employees when choosing the right employer.
Opportunities for personal development must not be neglected in corporate training programs!
