Raising concerns about the efficacy of corporate skilling programs in keeping up with a rapidly evolving workplace, a new report by upGrad Enterprise, the corporate skilling division of learning company upGrad, has found that 75% of Indian employees only engage in training when it is made mandatory.
The report, Skilling Smarter: A Strategic Guide to Training Across Generations, draws from the responses of over 12,300 professionals across industries. It points to a fundamental disconnect between what companies offer and what employees actually need, both in terms of content and format.
Despite growing awareness around the importance of upskilling, nearly half the workforce remained untrained in FY25, the study found. A similar proportion of workplaces continue to operate without a formal skilling strategy, leading to inconsistent access and widening capability gaps.
“There's a serious skilling gap emerging,” said Srikanth Iyengar, chief executive of upGrad Enterprise. “We see companies budgeting annually, but there’s very little to no skilling provided to employees. Let’s not forget that the pace of technology is outstripping organisational readiness and we are not ready for the ripples it’s going to create very soon.”
One of the more striking observations is the generational divide in learning preferences — and the lack of response to it. Gen X employees (born after 1965), for instance, prefer expert-led training, while Gen Z (born after 1997) leans towards immersive, on-demand modules. Yet, 63% of HR leaders reportedly do not tailor programmes to different generational needs.
Employees also cite several barriers to upskilling--51% say current programs lack relevance, 43% report limited access, and 42% say they don’t have enough time. The report suggests that while organisations invest primarily in technical and industry-specific training, employees are more inclined towards leadership development, soft skills, and strategic thinking.
“Without personalised, real-time, and career-aligned learning, training becomes a checkbox activity — ineffective at best, costly at worst,” Iyengar added.
The findings also show a mismatch between investment and outcomes. Six in 10 HR leaders allocate less than 5% of their budgets to skilling, and over 60% of CHROs say they are unable to track any measurable impact.
The report, Skilling Smarter: A Strategic Guide to Training Across Generations, draws from the responses of over 12,300 professionals across industries. It points to a fundamental disconnect between what companies offer and what employees actually need, both in terms of content and format.
Despite growing awareness around the importance of upskilling, nearly half the workforce remained untrained in FY25, the study found. A similar proportion of workplaces continue to operate without a formal skilling strategy, leading to inconsistent access and widening capability gaps.
“There's a serious skilling gap emerging,” said Srikanth Iyengar, chief executive of upGrad Enterprise. “We see companies budgeting annually, but there’s very little to no skilling provided to employees. Let’s not forget that the pace of technology is outstripping organisational readiness and we are not ready for the ripples it’s going to create very soon.”
One of the more striking observations is the generational divide in learning preferences — and the lack of response to it. Gen X employees (born after 1965), for instance, prefer expert-led training, while Gen Z (born after 1997) leans towards immersive, on-demand modules. Yet, 63% of HR leaders reportedly do not tailor programmes to different generational needs.
Employees also cite several barriers to upskilling--51% say current programs lack relevance, 43% report limited access, and 42% say they don’t have enough time. The report suggests that while organisations invest primarily in technical and industry-specific training, employees are more inclined towards leadership development, soft skills, and strategic thinking.
“Without personalised, real-time, and career-aligned learning, training becomes a checkbox activity — ineffective at best, costly at worst,” Iyengar added.
The findings also show a mismatch between investment and outcomes. Six in 10 HR leaders allocate less than 5% of their budgets to skilling, and over 60% of CHROs say they are unable to track any measurable impact.
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