The latest L&D news, reports, research and updates, personally compiled by TJ’s Editor, Jo Cook. This week: A computer game reveal learning smarts, onboarding still stumbles, poor workplaces hit UK hard, workforce schemes bridge skills gaps, and Ghana gets set to host eLearning Africa’s biggest-ever digital education gathering in 2026.
A whopping 68% admit to doing other things during online training:
- 21% checked social media
- 9% watched a tv show
- 42% checked emails
Addressing the barriers blocking employee development
Despite growing awareness, however, participation in skill development is limited. In 2024, less than half of U.S. employees (45%) participated in training or education to build new skills for their current job.
Gallup projects, based on meta-analytic findings, that organizations could realize an 18% increase in profit and 14% increase in productivity by doubling the proportion of employees who feel that they have opportunities at work to learn and grow.
- Time demands of my job 41%
- Time demands of my personal/family responsibilities 25%
- Lack of learning opportunities offered by my organization 20%
New study reveals ‘shadow AI’ trend: 54% of workers would use AI without company approval
A new global study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), involving survey responses from over 10,600 workers, reveals a growing trend of ‘Shadow AI’ use in the workplace. More than half of respondents (54%) say they would use AI tools without formal approval – a behaviour especially common among Gen Z and Millennial employees.
Compounding this risk, only a third (36%) of employees feel adequately trained to use AI, and just 25% of frontline workers say their managers provide sufficient guidance. This combination of unregulated AI use and insufficient support leaves employers vulnerable to security threats – including cyberattacks, data breaches and compliance issues.
Flexible working must not be viewed as a perk
The UK continues to work some of the longest hours in Europe, yet productivity remains sluggish. Participants argued that closing this gap requires a shift in mindset: from valuing time to valuing outcomes. Flexible working, when done well, can help people perform at their best. Engineering a culture change by building trust is the key factor.
Many managers still struggle to lead teams they don’t see face-to-face daily, yet evidence shows that autonomy and flexibility can strengthen performance, not weaken it. Giving employees greater agency is proven to raise wellbeing, retention and output. However, speakers warned that cultural resistance remains strong. Too many decisions are still shaped by legacy habits or discomfort with change.
Playing this Minecraft game hints at how we learn in real life
A Minecraft computer game tweaked by scientists revealed clues about what makes people such good learners. The strategy illustrates the power of video games as experiments.
How much a person is able to adapt — both learning on their own and learning from fellow players — are “the best predictors of individual performance in this task,” says Charley Wu, a cognitive scientist at the University of Tübingen in Germany. “So the people who do the best are the ones who are the most flexible.”
Generational gaps and AI opportunities in employee onboarding
TalentLMS, a leading employee training platform, in partnership with BambooHR, the easiest-to-use people platform for HR, payroll, and benefits, today released new research exploring the effectiveness of onboarding across generations. The findings highlight administrative overload, the underuse of AI, and a growing preference for hybrid onboarding.
Conducted among 1,156 employees in the U.S. hired within the last 12 months, the TalentLMS-BambooHR survey explores employee integration, satisfaction, and the effectiveness of onboarding practices. Key findings show onboarding often leans too heavily on administrative tasks, leaving gaps in practical training:
- Over half of employees (52%) said admin-focused onboarding overshadowed job readiness
- 23% expressed struggles with skills-building due to insufficient personalised learning options
- 39% admitted to having second thoughts about their decision to join their company during onboarding. This percentage is particularly high among Gen Z, with 49% having second thoughts about their new job
Poor workplaces cost the UK £71 billion a year, reveals new survey
- New research from Mitie finds that UK employers currently lose over £485 million each week to time wasted due to workplace inefficiencies
- The research highlights how physical workplace factors are central to colleague satisfaction, talent retention and boosting productivity levels
- Almost nine in ten (88%) employees said a safe working environment and access to technology contributes most to their satisfaction and productivity
Do workforce development programs bridge the skills gap? Researchers say yes
Workforce development programs — funded through public-private partnerships — appear to bridge the skills gap by helping companies to scale and expanding opportunities for less skilled workers, according to recent research published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
After training, organisations had longer employment growth and down-skilling in job posts, as compared to a matched control group, the researchers found. They looked at 18 states with grant subsidies for training.
Ghana and eLearning Africa Host 2026 Conference in Accra
The Government of Ghana has officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with eLearning Africa to host the 19th edition of the continent’s leading conference on digital education, training, and skills development. The event will take place from 3 – 5 June 2026 in Accra.
As part of this year’s new initiatives, eLearning Africa will also launch a journal series dedicated to digital learning and skills development. The inaugural issue, to be published ahead of the 2026 conference, will be freely accessible and will offer an inclusive platform for African-led research, insight, and policy reflection.
