Gap between upskilling intent and execution in business, says Pluralsight

Organisations understand the importance of giving their employees the opportunity to learn new skills, but many are falling short, according to research.

A study from tech training provider Pluralsight found almost 95% of business leaders in the UK believe providing employees with tech skills should be top of the agenda, but approximately the same amount don’t have the resources to make it happen.

Matt Lloyd Davies, cyber security researcher and principal author at Pluralsight, said: “While nearly all executives acknowledge the strategic importance of a learning culture around technology, the fact that 95% of professionals still feel under-resourced reveals a clear gap between leadership intent and day-to-day enablement.

“Closing this gap requires leaders to move from aspirational statements about culture to measurable action, embedding continuous learning into performance reviews, workforce planning and leadership accountability.” 

Skills gaps in the technology sector have been an ongoing issue, making it difficult for organisations to find the talent they need for certain roles, especially when it comes to rapidly evolving technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cyber security.

To improve the skill level of tech workers, implementing plans for continuous learning within firms is something that has been spoken of and recommended by the government for years.

Pluralsight’s Tech skills report 2025 found that 95% of IT executives in the UK want to create a “culture of learning” in their organisations, especially as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes an increasing part of business.

Almost half of AI-related projects ended up unfinished across 2025 as a result of a lack of appropriate skills, and this issue is likely to continue into the next year without an increased focus on tech learning.

But there are barriers to providing the level of upskilling needed for employees to be ready for AI adoption – Pluralsight found half of employees in the UK said they don’t have time for training, and 93% said a lack of support is the biggest barrier to upskilling.

While all organisations asked said they have a strategy for upskilling, 56% of leaders are very aware of the blockers in the way of achieving this, and almost all claimed skills shortages are a current barrier to successful teams.

Drew Firment, AWS community hero and vice-president of global partnerships at Pluralsight, claimed where time is an issue when it comes to training, this is more about company culture than anything else.

“A learning organisation doesn’t make time; it builds time into their business model,” he said. “How that happens will differ for every business – it could be through protected learning hours, bite-sized formats or structured development pathways – but it must be a priority.”

There are obviously many benefits to having a skilled workforce, and Pluralsight found retraining already-existing employees saves companies money.

Tech skills report 2025 claimed that in the UK, it is 1.6 times more expensive to hire new people than it is to offer internal talent the opportunity to learn new skills – the research found the average new employee in the UK costs approximately £9,769, while upskilling costs £6,056, and more than 40% of tech leaders said it also takes longer to hire than it does to train.

This route is also more beneficial for employees, with 41% claiming more training leads to promotions, and almost half claiming increased skillsets leads to pay rises.