With ‘employee training’ Google searches up 40% in five years from 10,000 to 15,000 monthly in the UK, it is clear that people are searching for support, but bringing it up can still feel awkward.

Arwa Due-Gundersen, Senior Business Development Manager at Cambridge Advance Online, part of the University of Cambridge Online, says employees shouldn’t feel like they have to push for development on their own. Actively encouraging training and development can have many benefits:

• Development opportunities encourage retention – 41% of employees surveyed by McKinsey left their last role due to a lack of career advancement and development opportunities, the most common reason for quitting among all respondents.

• Companies further along in upskilling report significant business improvements, including 16% higher productivity, 25% stronger talent retention, and 27% faster innovation, highlighted in PwC’s Annual Global CEO Survey.

• Google searches related to job performance have increased by 700% over the past five years, indicating a growing emphasis on career progression and the means to achieve it.

Arwa notes: “The strongest organisations are those that invest in their people, not just for who they are today, but for who they can become. Learning should empower every individual to grow with purpose, lead with confidence, and drive meaningful change in their work and the world.”

Over three-quarters of organisations globally (76%) are significantly updating their leadership programmes and planning to increase spending through 2025, according to Gartner. For organisations who don’t want to get left behind, Arwa shares four practical tips to help employers, managers and HR leaders create a supportive learning environment:

#1 Protect your employees’ time: “Protecting time is really important to make sure staff actually have the space to learn. You can also offer specific group sessions or encourage informal skill shares, like a ‘lunch-and-learn’. People are more likely to ask for opportunities on their own if development is built into the day-to-day culture of the workplace.”

#2 Be transparent with available budgets: “When employees know that a budget exists, and that development is actively encouraged, they’re much more likely to come to you proactively with requests for training, and request opportunities within the budget available to them.”

#3 Set training-related goals for your employees: “Aim to make development pathways clearly visible, whether that’s through internal learning portals, goal-setting sessions, team meetings or regular performance reviews. This should naturally create a space where employees can feel comfortable speaking up.”

#4 Treat training as a strategic investment, not a one-off perk: “A well-designed training programme should be year-round, not a one-off. You’ll likely find that ongoing development will improve retention, boost performance, and help your business stay ahead of the curve. It’s worth choosing formats that make it easy for employees to apply new skills straight away. Short courses and bite-sized learning usually work well as they support ongoing development without pulling too much time from daily responsibilities.”

Arwa also explains the importance of considering diversity in employee needs and planning for this upfront, “Your employees will all have different needs, career goals and ways that they feel they learn best. You should allow staff members to share what works best for them and ensure training is accessible to everyone.

“One way of doing this is to offer a blend of technical, interpersonal and strategic content within your training programmes to meet different needs.”

It is also recommended to consider the stage of their career your employee is in as training isn’t just for junior team members:

• Early career professionals typically benefit from training that helps them build confidence and improve technical fluency, foundational business or communication skills.

• Mid-level professionals may require additional training in stakeholder management, team leadership and strategic planning which helps bridge the gap between doing and directing.

• Senior leaders are likely more interested in refreshing their knowledge base and upskilling to navigate changes in their industry. Topics like AI, sustainability and global strategy are generally beneficial, though sector-specific needs should be considered.

For more of Arwa’s advice and insights (including the skills that employers should currently be prioritising), head to: https://advanceonline.cam.ac.uk/blog/an-awkward-ask