Training budgets are most useful when they are tied to work that needs to improve. A workforce skills plan helps an organisation identify the capabilities it needs, where gaps exist and which form of development is most likely to improve performance.
The UK Employer Skills Survey 2024 found that 12% of employers had at least one employee who was not fully proficient in their role. Although 59% of employers had provided training during the previous 12 months, total UK training expenditure had fallen in real terms compared with 2022. This makes careful prioritisation increasingly important.
Rather than beginning with a list of popular courses, employers should start with their business priorities and the work employees need to perform differently.
Start with the business need
Choose three to five business priorities for the next 12 to 24 months. These might include improving customer retention, adopting new technology, strengthening management capability, meeting compliance requirements or reducing errors in an operational process.
For each priority, ask what employees and managers will need to do differently. A general statement such as “we need AI training” is too broad to guide an investment decision. A more useful requirement might be: “Our marketing team needs to use approved AI tools to produce first drafts more efficiently while protecting customer and company information.”
This connects learning to an observable workplace need and makes it easier to decide who requires development, what they should learn and how progress will be measured.
Identify gaps using evidence
A workforce skills plan should use more than managers’ impressions. Review evidence such as job descriptions, performance data, quality checks, customer feedback, employee surveys, exit interviews and succession plans.
Speak with employees as well as managers. Ask which tasks take longer than expected, where mistakes commonly occur, what responsibilities people avoid and which changes they feel least prepared to handle.
It is also important to separate a genuine skills gap from other workplace problems. Training will not resolve unclear responsibilities, unrealistic workloads, unsuitable systems or a lack of management support. Those issues require operational or organisational changes.
Decide what to address first
Not every gap needs immediate action. Assess each one against four questions:
1. Business impact: How does the gap affect customers, revenue, productivity, compliance or employee retention?
2. Scale: How many employees or teams are affected?
3. Urgency: Is the capability needed for an upcoming change, project or regulatory requirement?
4. Evidence: What information confirms that this is a skills issue?
Prioritise the gaps with the clearest evidence and greatest business impact. This is usually more effective than placing the whole workforce on a broad programme that may not be relevant to everyone.
Choose the right development approach
Once the priority gaps are clear, choose a development method that suits the skill, the learner and the workplace.
Self-paced learning can work well when employees need flexibility and the subject is mainly knowledge-based. Live training is often more suitable when people need to ask questions, practise tasks or receive immediate feedback. Recognised qualifications can provide a structured pathway for employees developing towards management or specialist roles.
Coaching, mentoring, supervised practice and project assignments can help employees apply learning in their own working environment. In some cases, the right response may be clearer guidance, improved systems or better management support rather than a training course.
For each development activity, record:
1. The business priority it supports.
2. The capability that needs to improve.
3. The employees or roles involved.
4. The chosen learning method.
5. The person responsible for supporting the learning.
6. The date when progress will be reviewed.
Measure what changes at work
Course completion is useful administrative information, but it does not show whether workplace capability has improved.
Set a baseline before training begins and agree what successful application will look like. Depending on the objective, this might include fewer processing errors, faster completion times, improved customer feedback, stronger management conversations or more confident use of a new system.
Review progress with both the employee and their manager. If learning is not being applied, check whether the employee needs more practice, feedback, time or authority to use the new capability.
Connecting the plan to suitable development
Once the priorities, audiences and intended outcomes are clear, employers can compare training options more effectively.
Relevant Acudemy pathways include:
• Payroll training for employees who need practical capability in payroll processing, legislation and payroll software.
• CMI management and leadership qualifications for new, aspiring and established managers who require structured development and recognised qualifications.
• IT, data and AI training for teams adopting new software, improving digital capability or introducing responsible uses of artificial intelligence.
• Business and professional skills training where organisations need stronger communication, project delivery, customer service or operational capability.
Course selection should follow the needs analysis rather than being based only on popularity. The right programme should reflect the employee’s current responsibilities, existing knowledge, preferred delivery method and the workplace outcome the organisation wants to improve.
Acudemy can help employers compare suitable courses, delivery formats and development routes for individuals or teams. Contact our team to discuss your workforce priorities and training requirements.