Dive Brief:
- Training programs in industries with many front-line workers hinder workforce readiness by focusing solely on employer priorities without incorporating what employees say they need, according to a June 11 report from learning platform Chegg.
- Employers and employees look at the same challenges and see different problems, Chegg CEO Dan Rosensweig noted in a media release. Employers pointed to a lack of practical skills as the biggest issues, the research found. By contrast, employees cited the lack of training in skills that offer a route to more responsibility or a senior position.
- Training must address the concerns of both, the report stressed, and won’t be effective unless it “also speaks to employees’ ambitions and results in desired gains, whether in terms of career trajectory, remuneration, or job security,” the report said.
Dive Insight:
While employers said artificial intelligence and automation (36%) and digital and IT capabilities (24%) were the skills employees most lacked, workers pointed to training in leadership and people management (25%) and communication and teamwork (24%).
Current training initiatives may be “failing to strike the right compromise between boosting performance in current roles, through building relevant technical skills, and teaching the durable skills needed for long-term career advancement,” Rosensweig explained in the report.
The findings are based on a recent survey of 1,000 employers and 1,005 employees in 10 front-line-heavy industries across the U.S., including IT and software, finance and insurance, retail and manufacturing.
More than half of the employers said entry-level workers aren’t prepared for the job. However, there’s a disconnect on how well employees are being trained once they’re in the workforce; while 77% of employers believe their training programs are effective overall, only 58% of employees agreed.
Specifically, 51% of the employees who said their training wasn’t effective criticized it for being too general or not connected closely enough to their day-to-day responsibilities. Almost 4 in 10 said they aren’t getting enough hands-on practical learning; 34% cited insufficient coaching, and 27% pointed to weak managerial support. Almost three-quarters (71%) said their training has not led to any change in their pay or position.
One problem may be is that many organizations get fully invested in “license-to-operate” training efforts, such as those involving safety or compliance, but leave little time, budget or other resources for training that can improve current performance and also future-proof their business, according to an April 2025 report from RedThread Research.
Employers don’t have to invest equally in each area, the RedThread report emphasized. For example, license-to-operate efforts can focus on essentials like tightening proficiency requirements or reducing inconsistencies in training materials. Improving current performance may require more investment to determine which training components are missing and address those issues, the report said.
More HR leaders are identifying training as their top priority, according to HR Dive’s 2026 Identity of HR survey. The number jumped over the past year from 5% to 9%, a significant increase reflecting how AI is making roles more complex faster than traditional training programs were designed to address, experts told HR Dive.
Workforce skills gaps have real costs, the Chegg report found. Nearly one-third of employers said they spend the equivalent of a full day of work making up for skills shortfalls.