Are Your Career Growth Benefits Meeting Your Workers’ Needs?

A recent report by global learning and workforce skilling company Chegg revealed a significant disconnect between the development training programs employers provide and the skills workers want to attain.

According to the survey of more than 2,000 U.S. employers and employees, while 77% of employers said their development programs are effective, 71% of employees said they have had no impact on their pay, promotion prospects or role progression.

A separate study by education benefits platform Guild found similar results: 70% of employers have defined key performance indicators for their training investments, but only 13% conduct standardized recurring reporting on their holistic training results.

What does this all mean for employers?

“Too many workforce development programs are still measuring activity instead of impact,” said Eric Lee, the senior vice president of services and support at workforce agility and talent management platform Cornerstone OnDemand. “Employers tend to track dollars spent, courses launched and completion rates, while employees measure success by whether learning helps them earn a promotion, build meaningful skills or advance their career.”

Access a bonus Workspan Daily Plus+ article on this subject:

• How to Build Better Employer-Employee Skills Alignment

Behind the Disconnect

According to Matthew J. Daniel, Guild’s senior talent strategy and mobility principal, the disconnect is salient and simple: What employees want differs from what employers provide. While workers want training that supports career development and growth, he said they instead often receive mandatory training designed to make them more effective in their current roles.

The Chegg report reinforced this finding: While employees want advancement skills, employers prioritize productivity skills. When asked about the skills lacking in their workplace, the surveyed employers said artificial intelligence (AI)/automation (36%) followed by digital and information technology (24%), whereas employees chose leadership and people management (25%), and communication and teamwork (24%).

“Both sides are right, but training feels ineffective when it serves only the employer’s immediate agenda and not the employee’s growth agenda,” said Tom McMullen, a senior talent partner at consulting firm Korn Ferry. “The most powerful programs bridge the two by showing how business-critical skills also create career value.”

The disconnect becomes even more pronounced as AI reshapes the skills employers prioritize. According to a 2026 Skills Economy Report by Cornerstone OnDemand, AI and machine learning knowledge was the most in-demand skill globally. However, Lee said employees reported the skills that matter most to their careers in the long term aren’t related to AI knowledge, but rather human abilities like critical thinking, creative problem-solving and adaptability.

Misalignment Lowers Engagement, Trust

According to the Chegg data, employees said training programs are ineffective due to the following reasons:

• Training is too general or not connected to their day-to-day responsibilities (51%)
• There isn’t enough hands-on practical learning (39%)
• Coaching is insufficient (34%)
• Managerial support is weak (27%)

Development programs that lack relevance, practical impact and career advancement can result in low employee engagement and an ineffective training program, said McMullen. It also can reduce participation, weaken trust and contribute to retention risk. For organizations, it can leave critical skill gaps despite significant investment because learning was not targeted to critical skills or reinforced by managers.

Instead, development programs should be a win-win for both the employer and the worker.

“When employees build skills that advance both the business and their careers, productivity rises, retention improves and organizations become more adaptable,” said Colin Coggins, a Chegg senior vice president and the general manager of its Chegg Skills platform.

Editor’s Note: Additional Content

For more information and resources related to this article, see the pages below, which offer quick access to all WorldatWork content on these topics:

• Career Growth
• Employee Experience
• Total Rewards