How to engage employees in learning

Without engagement, even the best learning content falls flat. Engagement with learning drives commitment to complete training and to proactively seek learning opportunities. When a learner is engaged with learning, it also improves knowledge retention, and likelihood to engage with future learning and development. As well as access to course content and resources, your employees need a reason to care about what they’re learning to get the most out of the experience. 

When employees are genuinely engaged with their learning, they feel invested in the process rather than viewing it as a box-ticking exercise. This enthusiasm fosters a culture where development actively connects to their goals and becomes part of their everyday work. The CIPD's Learning at Work survey underscores this, finding that L&D has a significant contribution to make in improving organisational performance, transformation, innovation and growth - making engagement an essential linchpin for L&D.  

As McKinsey notes, one of the five areas that the learning function has a strategic role in within an organisation is to motivate and engage employees, meaning L&D teams should be influencing decisions surrounding engagement in learning.  

But getting people excited about learning takes more than just launching a new platform or scheduling a webinar; it requires strategy, creativity and commitment. We’ve put together six key steps exploring how to engage employees in learning and maximise the value of your L&D approach. 

1. Create a culture of continuous learning 

A culture of continuous learning is one where development is embedded into everyday work life rather than being tacked on as an afterthought. It’s about creating an environment where everyone in the organisation understands the value of learning and development and so employees feel safe and encouraged to grow, try new things and learn from their experiences. 

When nurturing a culture of continuous learning, it’s important to lead from the top. If leaders prioritise their own development and celebrate learning wins, others are more likely to follow suit. Encourage managers to discuss learning in one-to-ones, highlight internal promotions and successes, and create time and space for upskilling. 

2. Align learning with employee goals and career paths 

The drive to build a fulfilling career is a powerful motivator. When employees can clearly see how learning initiatives directly equip them with the skills and knowledge needed for their next career step, their engagement naturally deepens. The fact that 91% of L&D professionals recognise continuous learning as vital for career success isn't just an opinion; it's a clear signal: show your people how learning fuels their ambitions, and you'll ignite their investment. 

As well as having open conversations about career ambitions, make sure that your organisation has clear career pathways, and align your training and development programs to them. Use performance reviews or individual development plans to identify skills gaps and create people-centred learning experiences tailored to individual needs and consider offering role-specific learning tracks or mentorship programs to keep motivation high. 

3. Provide relevant and timely learning opportunities 

Nobody wants to sit through training that doesn’t apply to them. Relevance and timing are key to engagement that makes learning stick. Employees need content that speaks directly to their daily responsibilities and current challenges. 

Work closely with your teams by using employee surveys or manager feedback to understand the skills they need most. Microlearning is a great tactic here. This involves delivering short, focused content that can be accessed at the point of need, keeping things agile and engaging.  

Timely, personalised learning tailored to real work scenarios makes training feel less like a chore and more like a tool for success. This could involve: 

• Bringing in a senior colleague to the team if a performance issue arises can offer immediate, real-world guidance and mentorship, 
• Role playing scenarios with the rest of your team to navigate challenging client interactions or new procedures allows for immediate practice and feedback in a safe environment. 
• Using eLearning tailored to your industry at a critical time, such as when key financial regulations are updated, ensures everyone has the most current and relevant information precisely when they need it to stay compliant. 
• Providing access to a curated library of articles and resources just as an employee is taking on a new responsibility gives them the tools they need to succeed.  

4. Empower employees to control their own learning 

Giving employees the freedom to choose how and what they learn helps to build ownership and engagement. When people have control, they’re more likely to explore and take initiative, rather than waiting to be told what to do. 

You can support this autonomy with flexible options including self-paced courses, on-demand libraries and curated content hubs like those offered within our Professional Development platform Bookboon. Consider offering recommendations based on interests and encourage exploration beyond the mandatory courses or modules. Variety, such as different formats, topics and levels of challenge, give employees the chance to make learning their own. On-demand learning tools that promote autonomy and self-direction are essential for modern L&D strategies. 

5. Recognise and reward learning 

When employees feel that their efforts to learn and grow are noticed and appreciated, they’re more likely to stay engaged and continue developing.  This makes sense when you consider that consistently acknowledging achievements has been shown to improve work quality by 24%. Rewards don’t always have to be financial; simple gestures of recognition can have just as much impact, especially when they’re tied to real progress.  

It’s a good idea to celebrate learning achievements publicly through internal newsletters, team shoutouts or digital badges. Link learning outcomes to performance reviews, career progression or tangible incentives such as certificates to really make them count. Recognising and rewarding continuous learning in visible, meaningful ways helps to embed development into your culture and keeps momentum going. 

6. Measure and improve learning engagement 

If you want to improve something, you need to be able to measure it. That’s why tracking engagement is essential when looking at how to engage employees in learning. It gives L&D teams the insights needed to understand what’s working, where people are dropping off, and which areas need attention. But it’s clear that many aren’t doing this – a CIPD survey reported that only 50% of learning practitioners have a process in place for assessing learning impact. 

To change this, consider utilising a Learning Management System which has built-in tracking capabilities. Start by monitoring completion rates, course feedback and learner progress across different teams. Useful metrics include login frequency, time spent on modules, and the types of content that perform best, but you can also use surveys to gather qualitative feedback on how learners feel about the experience. From there, refine your approach by testing new formats, updating stale content, and introducing social learning opportunities to increase collaboration. 

Barriers to learning can derail even the most well-meaning training strategies.  Identifying and addressing these challenges early on when you are considering how to engage employees in learning is essential for success. Let’s explore three common barriers to learning engagement in more detail.  

Difficulty scheduling training 

With remote and hybrid working becoming more common in the last few years, it can now be harder to bring everyone together for in-person training days. Pair this with navigating a dispersed team and organising travel, and it’s no wonder that teams aren’t engaging with traditional methods of learning.  

How to overcome this barrier: 

• Offer blended learning approaches: Combine the flexibility of online learning with targeted in-person sessions when necessary and feasible. 
• Embrace asynchronous learning: Design learning experiences that don't require everyone to be online at the same time. 
• Utilise learning management systems (LMS): An LMS centralises learning materials and facilitates communication, making it easier to manage learning for dispersed teams. 

Time constraints 

Everyone is busy, and making time for workplace learning can be tricky, especially when project deadlines and important meetings are often made a priority.  

How to overcome this barrier: 

• Microlearning: Offer short, digestible learning modules that fit into small pockets of time. 
• On-demand access: Allow learners to access materials anytime, anywhere, fitting learning into their schedules. 
• Highlight relevance: Clearly show how the learning directly benefits their work and goals. 

Learning isn’t accessible 

True engagement isn’t possible without accessibility. Everyone in your organisation should be able to learn – and this means thinking inclusively about both technology and content design. 

How to overcome this barrier: 

• Mobile-friendly platforms: Enable learning on the go, catering to different work styles and locations. 
• Diverse content formats: Offer video, audio, and interactive elements to accommodate various learning preferences. 
• Accessibility best practices: Implement features like screen-reader compatibility, captions, and keyboard navigation. 

Knowing how to engage employees in learning is the first step to building a thriving, development-focused workplace. Whether it’s through a culture of continuous growth, personalised pathways, flexible learning or inclusive design, L&D professionals have powerful tools at their disposal to make learning stick. 

Our Digital Learning Solutions are designed to do just that. With an AI-powered LMS, on-demand content and seamless delivery options, The Access Group supports every stage of the employee learning journey.  Why not book a demo to see our products in action?