Sustainability implementation in organisations is still a Work-in-Progress amid lack of training and employee uncertainty over organisation goals

• Only 6% of business leaders report that their organisation has completed at least one round of sustainability implementation. This is in comparison to 14% from NTUC LearningHub's Special Report on Sustainability 2022.
• Employees perceive possessing the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and implement sustainability initiatives at the workplace (6% to a large extent, 55% to a moderate extent, 34% to a small extent).
• However, more than four in five business leaders say (15% strongly agree, 71% somewhat agree) that there is a gap in expertise and skill sets around sustainability in their organisation. In fact, only one in ten employees (11%) report that they attended sustainability-related training in the past year, while about half (46%) say they are unaware of the programmes available in the market.
• Despite nearly four in five business leaders (17% strongly agree, 63% somewhat agree) agreeing that their organisation has clearly communicated how employees can contribute towards the organisation's sustainability goals, one in three employees (33%) are not confident of their organisation's ability to effectively implement sustainability initiatives citing unclear sustainability goals (41%), insufficient budget allocated to sustainability initiatives (34%), and lack of sustainability training programmes (32%) as primary reasons.

SINGAPORE, Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Although sustainability is a growing business priority, only 6% of business leaders report that their organisation has completed at least one round of sustainability implementation. This is in comparison to 14% from NTUC LearningHub's Special Report on Sustainability 2022. Nevertheless, a positive outlook remains as nearly three quarters of business leaders (72%) share that their organisation will begin its sustainability journey within the next five years or more, marking a 6% increase from the 2022 report.

Employees perceive possessing the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and implement sustainability initiatives at the workplace (6% to a large extent, 55% to a moderate extent, 34% to a small extent). However, more than four in five business leaders (15% strongly agree, 71% somewhat agree) say that there is a gap in expertise and skill sets around sustainability in their organisation where they seek skills like climate change sustainability (30%), environmental management system framework or policy (29%), risk management (29%), sustainability risk and impact assessment (29%), and Environmental and Social Governance (28%).

These are some of the key findings from NTUC LearningHub's Sustainability for Business Resilience Report 2024, which investigates sustainability as a business imperative, the current state of sustainability efforts in organisations, and the critical role of training and certifications. Based on survey involving over 150 business leaders and 350 full-time working professionals, the report also highlights the in-demand job roles and skills that inform and shape individuals' career progression while strengthening the business' resilience.

While nearly a third of business leaders (30%) report having sent their employees for sustainability-related training in the past year, only one in ten employees (11%) report attending sustainability-related training and about half (46%) are unaware of the available programmes in the market. This occurs while both business leaders and employees express similar concerns over training.

When sending employees for training, business leaders grapple with employees being too busy with work to attend training (43%), difficulty in identifying industry-recognised courses (39%) and relevant external training providers or centres (32%), insufficient budget for training programmes (36%), and resistance to change among employees (35%). Meanwhile, employees cite being too busy with work to attend training (43%), training programmes not being fully funded by their company (29%), having no one to cover their work while they are away for training (28%), uncertainty about their skills gaps (28%), and limited in-house training programmes offered by their organisation (27%) as key challenges.  

Although nearly four in five business leaders (17% strongly agree, 63% somewhat agree) agree that their organisation has clearly communicated how employees can contribute towards the organisation's sustainability goals, both groups have differing views on the top motivators for sustainability initiatives implementation. Employees report the top three motivators to be cost savings (46%), complying with rules and regulations (44%), and responding to market demand (36%). On the other hand, business leaders cite responding to market demand (54%) as the primary driver, followed by achieving cost savings (49%), and managing risks (43%).

Moreover, one in three employees (33%) lack the confidence in their organisation's ability to effectively implement sustainability initiatives, citing unclear sustainability goals (41%), insufficient budget allocated to sustainability initiatives (34%), and lack of sustainability training programmes (32%) as primary reasons.

Commenting on the report's findings, Mr Tay Ee Learn, Chief Sector Skills Officer, NTUC LearningHub, says, "The findings suggest a possible disconnect between business leaders and employees, likely stemming from a lack of common understanding and therefore shared goal in the journey to implement sustainability initiatives within organisations. Transparent communication is key, but organisations must first develop a clear sustainability roadmap with defined goals to ensure everyone is aligned. This involves prioritising workforce training and development to prepare employees for new and refreshed green roles. Leveraging resources like the NTUC Awareness, Resources, Community (ARC) Framework, which offers sustainability solutions to employers while facilitating the training of their workers, can help organisations address their challenges. Investing in the development of their human capital will go a long way to reassure the workforce that they are valued, allowing both organisations and workers to remain competitive in a dynamic landscape."

To download the Sustainability for Business Resilience  Report 2024, please visit https://www.ntuclearninghub.com/media/research-reports/2024/Sustainability. To find out more about the courses, training, and grants, please contact NTUC LearningHub at www.ntuclearninghub.com. 

About NTUC LearningHub

NTUC LearningHub is the leading Continuing Education and Training provider in Singapore which aims to transform the lifelong employability of working people. Since our corporatisation in 2004, we have been working with employers and individual learners to provide learning solutions in areas such as Infocomm Technology, Generative AI & Cloud, Healthcare, Retail & Food Services, Employability & Literacy, Business Excellence, Workplace Safety & Health, Security, Human Resources & Coaching and Foreign Workers Training.

To date, NTUC LearningHub has helped over 29,000 organisations and achieved more than 2.6 million training places across more than 2,900 courses with a pool of about 900 certified trainers. As a Total Learning Solutions provider to organisations, we also forge partnerships to offer a wide range of relevant end-to-end training. Besides in-person training, we also offer instructor-led virtual live classes (VLCs) and asynchronous online learning. The NTUC LearningHub Learning eXperience Platform (LXP) — a one-stop online learning mobile application — offers timely, bite-sized and quality content for learners to upskill anytime and anywhere. Beyond learning, LXP also serves as a platform for jobs and skills development for both workers and companies.

For more information, visit www.ntuclearninghub.com.

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