Skills for Today & Tomorrow | Mind The Gap Report

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler

Why It Matters 

Opportunities for growth and development are the lifeblood of a healthy organisational culture. When a company fosters a strong learning culture, it reaps benefits like higher engagement, better performance, more innovation, and stronger retention.

In fact, a LinkedIn Learning survey found that;

94% of employees say they’d stay longer at a company that invests in their career development.

That’s a staggering figure – and a wake-up call for organisations who see learning as an optional extra.

But growth isn’t what it used to be. In modern, flatter organisations, traditional promotion ladders are disappearing. Today, growth might look like a lateral move into another function, taking on a stretch assignment, or developing new skills rather than gaining a new title.

The real challenge for CPOs is ensuring that growth opportunities are both meaningful and relevant – aligned with business priorities, but also with what employees want for their careers.

The Challenge 

In our research interviews with CPOs, several themes emerged around the difficulties of fostering development in today’s workplace.

One CPO from a hypergrowth company shared:

We’ve grown from 90 to 350 staff in the past 10 months. We’re still in unstable startup mode and ensuring we can maintain the culture during this period is key… One of our values is ‘together we grow’ but getting the time to grow people as we go through this phase is really hard – we’re simply too busy to focus on development.

This highlights a common tension: organisations often say they prioritise growth, but the pace of change makes it hard to deliver on that promise. That “say–do gap” can quickly erode trust.

Another CPO described their culture as “too parental”:

We don’t have a learning mindset. There are three parties at play here – the organisation, leaders and employees – but how do we engage employees to be accountable for their own careers and development?

It’s an important point. While companies should provide the right tools and frameworks, employees also need to take responsibility for their own learning. Waiting for HR to chart a career path simply isn’t sustainable in a fast-changing environment.

Finally, several leaders noted that organisations need to broaden their definition of “learning.” Too often, development is seen narrowly as training courses. But powerful growth also happens informally – through mentoring, cross-functional projects, job rotations, or on-the-job problem-solving. One CPO summed it up well:

We need to get better at defining what ‘learning’ means and ensure leaders pass on knowledge.

And all of this is complicated further by the reality of multigenerational workforces. Younger employees often crave rapid skill-building and purpose; mid-career professionals want leadership opportunities; senior employees may prefer stability or mentoring roles. Not an easy square to circle.

Practical Steps For Change 

1. Embed development into your culture and values;

If growth is one of your stated values, live it. Make continuous learning part of everyday conversations, performance reviews, and recognition moments. Everyone should be both a learner and a teacher.

2. Broaden the idea of growth;

Promotion isn’t the only way ‘up’. Create a lattice instead of a ladder: lateral moves, special projects, job rotations, and mentorship programs all give people meaningful opportunities to stretch and contribute.

3. Audit learning for relevance;

Avoid “learning for learning’s sake.” Review your L&D programmes to ensure they map to actual skills your organisation needs – whether that’s innovation, collaboration, or agility – and make sure employees can see the purpose behind them.

4. Empower managers to grow their people;

Managers play a crucial role in career conversations. Equip them to coach and mentor their teams – and hold them accountable for building skills and sharing knowledge.

5. Leverage your multigenerational workforce;

Pair younger employees with experienced colleagues in reverse mentoring programmes. This can boost digital fluency, spread institutional knowledge, and strengthen intergenerational collaboration.

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When organisations take growth seriously – and make it part of their cultural fabric – the payoff is huge. Employees feel valued and invested in, which builds loyalty, boosts performance, and sparks innovation.

As one CPO put it:

We need to create an environment in which it is truly OK to fail fast, learn and go again.

That’s the essence of a resilient, future-ready culture.

Interested in learning more, download our report today: https://www.inspiringchange.ie//mindthegap