The latest L&D news, reports, research and updates, personally compiled by TJ’s Editor, Jo Cook. This week: From rising Gen Z burnout to engineering perks over pay, youth confidence gaps, L&D freelancer visibility, and women in tech mentoring—today’s workplace challenges demand smart strategies, bold support, inclusion and AI focus.
TJ partners with SyncSkills to support women leaders with place on REVEAL programme
Training Journal has partnered with leadership specialists SyncSkills to offer a place on their upcoming REVEAL programme, a powerful 12-week group coaching experience designed specifically for women leading remote and hybrid teams.
REVEAL promises a high-impact, personalised journey. Built around diagnostics, expert coaching, and community learning, it enables managers to build confidence, strengthen digital communication, and create success behaviours that unlock team performance.
Widening AI training gap ushers in ‘birth of a new digital divide’
While 77% of companies allow artificial intelligence tools at work, only 32% offer training, according to a report from BambooHR.
A gap is growing across organizational hierarchies, with 72% of C-suite and vice president-level executives using AI daily, compared to only 18% of individual contributors, the report found. This “birth of a new digital divide” could shift workplace power dynamics and widen gender gaps, BambooHR warned.
AI may diminish demand for high-wage skills like data analysis, research finds
As artificial intelligence and automation redefine work, today’s high-wage skills — including data analysis and process monitoring where AI has demonstrated strong capabilities — may diminish in demand and dip in salary, according to research by the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI and the Digital Economy Lab.
In contrast, skills requiring human interaction and coordination — such as prioritizing and organizing work and training, teaching and effective communication — will grow in importance and command higher pay.
82% of HR professionals use AI, but most lack job-specific training
Human resources departments have embraced AI, with 82% of HR professionals using the technology at work, but only 30% have received comprehensive, job-specific AI training, according to a survey by General Assembly.
While 69% of HR professionals say AI has freed up time for more strategic work and 41% report working fewer hours because of AI adoption, a lack of targeted training leaves many to learn AI on their own, with mixed results on confidence and effectiveness.
Is generative AI killing critical thinking in the workplace?
How are employees using generative AI to produce written work in 2025? shares the results of a survey carried out on behalf of Wordtree, between April and May 2025, across corporations in the UK and mainland Europe. It paints a picture of widespread adoption of generative AI – with employees using it to write everything from marketing materials and reports, through to messages in greetings cards for colleagues.
- Most corporate employees (86%) are using generative AI platforms like ChatGPT and Copilot at work
- Most use it to complete up to 25% of their written work, while a small number use it for more than 75%
- Only a third of employees work in secured generative AI environments
- Few organisations have generative AI policies or QA processes in place
- Most employees (58%) say generative AI threatens their ability to think critically
L&D freelancers offered promotional space at World of Learning to boost visibility and drive new business
L&D Free Spirits – the premier network for freelancers in the Learning and Development (L&D) sector – is once again partnering with Venture Marketing Group, to give their members the chance to showcase their brand alongside them for the two-day exhibition, free of charge.
More than half of talent in the engineering sector would trade higher pay for workplace perks, Randstad research shows
With global demand for talent in the engineering sector projected to increase by over 80% by 2030, employers face mounting pressure to evolve. Randstad’s 2025 Workmonitor report, based on insights from over 26,000 workers across 35 markets, reveals a clear shift in expectations among talent in the sector.
Randstad’s research also found that over half of talent in this sector (52%) would rather have additional workplace benefits (such as gym membership, nursery, healthcare, free transport) than a higher salary.
Balancing ambition and anxiety: Exploring gen Z’s attitudes towards work
Gen Z is known for rewriting the rules – pushing for equal treatment, and standing up against poor practices. They’ve popularized remote work, normalized mental health breaks, and aren’t afraid to demand what they know they’re worth.
But fighting for change is tiring work, and many young workers find themselves on the verge of burnout. EduBirdie surveyed 2,000 Gen Zers to understand their work attitudes, ambitions, and anxieties. The results reveal a generation determined to excel, yet held back by the pressures of the modern workplace.
Youth confidence crisis ‘poses challenge for employers’
A growing crisis of low confidence among young people is threatening the future of the UK workforce, according to new research – and is quickly becoming a critical concern for businesses reliant on future talent pipelines.
The Listen Up Report from youth and education agency Hark has revealed that one in three young people lack confidence, a finding that should ring alarm bells for employers. The study found that around two million young people are entering adulthood without the confidence needed to navigate workplaces.
UNBOUND: Mentorship launch event
UNBOUND continues its mission to unleash the full potential of women in technology by addressing one of the most critical factors in career progression: mentorship. In September (date TBA), they’re hosting an intimate evening dedicated to exploring the transformative power of mentorship in tech careers. This isn’t just another networking event – it’s the launch of something that could change your career trajectory forever.
