Investing in people has never been more important. Yet many organisations struggle to unlock the full potential of their Learning and Development (L&D) programmes. Recent research from City & Guilds shows a growing recognition among employers that skills are key to organisational growth, while revealing persistent barriers that hold back effective investment.
At Mind-Gap, we know that closing the skills gap is more than a box-ticking exercise. Leaders must create a clear link between learning programmes and strategic goals if they want to realise the full value of their investment. The City & Guilds report highlights that while nearly two-thirds of businesses plan to increase their L&D budgets in the next 12 months, challenges such as misalignment between L&D and finance, lack of measurable impact, and difficulty building strong business cases can prevent these investments from reaching their potential.
The research found that many L&D professionals still feel unsupported when trying to secure budgets. Even when funding is secured, programmes often struggle to align with business strategy or demonstrate clear ROI, factors that can quickly lead to skills initiatives being deprioritised when other pressures arise. Without clear communication between L&D and finance teams, it’s easy for critical investment in people to be misunderstood or undervalued.
So, what’s the solution? The key lies in building collaborative relationships across departments. By involving finance teams in discussions early, defining clear KPIs for skills initiatives, and aligning programmes with strategic objectives, organisations can make the case for skills investment more compelling and sustainable.
At Mind-Gap, we help organisations bridge these gaps by equipping leaders with the tools to communicate the strategic value of L&D, design programmes with measurable outcomes, and embed continuous improvement into their learning strategies. In a world where technology, AI, and new ways of working are evolving faster than ever, your people’s skills are your greatest asset, and they deserve investment that delivers real, long-term impact.
