Learning at work has often been viewed as a tick-box exercise. However, short onboarding schedules or occasional training slots throughout the year are no longer effective. With the introduction of new tools and constant technological changes, workplace learning needs a reset. It’s imperative that organisations integrate continuous learning into day-to-day operations, creating the conditions for employees to feel confident adapting their skills to keep pace with these changes.
Learning is under strain across the workforce
The model is breaking down at every level because workplace learning is reactive, rather than proactive. While employers should be preparing their workforce for change before implementing new tools, often the opposite occurs and employees are left to try to fill in the blanks. Josef Al-Sibaie, COO at Syspro, argues: “Business leaders should be asking themselves an honest question: are we actually bringing our people with us into the future of the workforce?”
He continues, “too often, new technology is implemented and employees are left to catch up with little guidance. But with the pace of technological advancement today, this simply isn’t feasible. As AI continues to be integrated into every aspect of business operations, the world of work is having to adapt to survive. The reality is that some roles are already changing, and many more will do so in the not-so-distant future. However, this does not have to be a daunting change, but one we can prepare for with the right approach.”
This issue not only affects existing employees, but also those who are entering the workforce. Paraic O’Lochlainn, VP at eMaint, a Fluke Corporation brand, puts this in perspective for the manufacturing industry, where high vacancy rates indicate a deeper challenge: “Our industry talks constantly about skills shortages, but far less about how people are supposed to build those skills. Early-career workers are too often rejected for lacking experience they have never been given the chance to gain. That contradiction sits at the heart of the manufacturing skills crisis.”
The impact is not limited to employees as this approach also creates pressure for managers, who are left with the responsibility of driving development. When learning is not ingrained in an organisation’s culture, it can quickly become inconsistent. Mark Williams, Managing Director EMEA at WorkJam, explains: “Historically, without constant intervention from managers, learning could easily become inconsistent, deprioritised, or end once initial onboarding was completed.”
“Today, the focus must shift to ‘everboarding’: a continuous, tailored development journey that supports individual learning needs over time. But relying on frontline managers to manually curate and drive this for every single employee creates an impossible bottleneck. Instead, learning must be highly targeted, timely, and delivered directly to the individual,” he emphasises.
AI is redefining how skills are built
While gaps in workplace learning exist already, AI is accelerating how quickly companies need to adapt. “The pace of change in the technology sector – particularly with AI fundamentally changing the way we work – means the skills that got people to where they are today won’t necessarily be the ones that take them forward. Emerging technologies have the potential to either widen or narrow existing inequalities in the workplace, and the difference lies in intentional design,” notes Victoria Knight, Chief People Officer at Node4.
Hugh Scantlebury, CEO and Founder of Aqilla, acknowledges that AI is also changing the structure of knowledge within companies: “A new generation of employees will soon enter the workforce with a level of familiarity and confidence in AI that far outpaces the organisations they’re joining. In some cases, that means junior team members will bring new approaches to framing and solving problems.”
“They’ll likely be used to working in prompt-based environments, structuring tasks around AI tools, and using them as a starting point rather than an enhancement or afterthought. And, without generalising too much, more experienced colleagues may not have fully mastered these skill sets. Junior employees will still need to build a deep understanding of the processes, controls, and context that underpin the tasks being automated by AI. After all, how else will they be able to verify and challenge its outputs? Employers will likely need to provide that education.”
Employers need to close the gap
Employers have an opportunity to change the learning model from reactive to proactive, preparing employees for change by creating a culture of sustained development. “Organisations have a responsibility to invest in their people ahead of change through structured training and support. This means giving employees the resources and the space to learn at their own speed and creating a collaborative environment where they can share what works, and what doesn’t. Employers must set the standard by championing consistent, continuous learning, because no one should be left behind simply because the world moved faster than their employer was willing to,” highlights Syspro’s Al-Sibaie.
Node4’s Knight believes that AI can support this change: “While emerging technologies can heighten the sense of change, they can also form part of the solution. AI enables much more powerful in-the flow-of-work learning: real-time coaching, instant access to expertise, personalised content and the ability to capture and summarise complex information quickly. That’s a genuine game-changer, particularly for people returning to work after a career break or stepping into new roles. But formal training still absolutely has its place, especially for foundational skills, accredited qualifications and the deeper, structured learning that builds long-term capability. The most effective L&D strategies will combine the immediacy of AI augmentation with the depth of formal development.”
More emphasis needs to be placed on workplace learning if organisations are to keep up with constantly evolving work environments and ensure that every level of the workforce can adapt ahead of change. This means embedding continuous learning within company culture and treating learning as a priority rather than an afterthought.
