Mumbai: A new upGrad Enterprise Report, “Skilling Smarter: A Strategic Guide to Training Across Generations”, has revealed that half of India’s workforce did not receive any formal training during FY24–25.
The findings, based on responses from 12,300+ professionals across industries, call for an urgent overhaul of corporate learning strategies in India.
Despite growing demand for workforce upskilling, the upGrad enterprise report shows that:
- Only 16% of employees engage in regular, quarterly learning
- 75% participate in skilling only when mandated
- 50% of employees received no training at all
- Nearly 1 in 2 organizations still operate without a formal skilling framework
Multigenerational Workforce, One-Size-Fits-None Training
The upGrad Enterprise Report emphasizes that skilling models are failing to cater to a diverse, multigenerational workforce:
Gen X prefers expert-led sessions
Gen Y seeks flexibility and structure
Gen Z demands on-demand, immersive content
Yet, 63% of HR leaders do not tailor learning experiences by generation.
Low Investment, Low Returns
The report also highlights a stark disconnect between investment and impact:
- 60% of HR budgets allocate less than 5% to skilling
- 61.5% of CHROs report no measurable ROI
- Employees report barriers such as irrelevant content (51%), limited access (43%), and lack of time (42%)
A Call for Outcome-Linked, Personalized Learning
“We’re facing a serious skilling crisis. Organizations may budget annually, but most fail to implement personalized, real-time, and career-aligned learning,” said Srikanth Iyengar, CEO, upGrad Enterprise. “The speed of technological change is outpacing corporate readiness. Training cannot remain a checkbox activity.”
“Our report leverages insights from over 12,000 professionals to provide CHROs and L&D leaders with concrete, data-backed frameworks for personalized and outcome-linked training,” added Shirin Rai Gupta, Director – Marketing, upGrad Enterprise.
The upGrad Enterprise Report serves as a strategic blueprint for future-proofing India Inc.’s workforce. It urges organizations to shift toward learner-centric, generationally aware skilling frameworks that drive ROI and foster meaningful engagement.
