- Date published:
- September 2026
- Organisation:
- Learning and Work Institute; Nuffield Foundation
- Authors:
- Bradley Phipps, Catherine Marren, Elizabeth Davies, Lovedeep Vaid and Stephen Evans
- Sectors:
- All
- Themes:
- Adult education
Employers are investing less in training and training is getting shorter, holding back productivity. The UK stands out on this internationally, with the highest proportion of training episodes that last less than one day. This project aimed to understand why, using a mixed methods approach of a desk-based review, interviews with experts, employers and training providers, and data analysis. It looked at the whole economy, with a deeper focus on key growth sectors: financial and business services; creative and cultural; clean technologies; and information and communications. It included international comparisons.