Santander UK has urged the government to prioritise leadership, digital, and sustainability skills in its new National Plan for Skills to tackle the UK’s productivity crisis and prepare the workforce for the future.
In a newly published report, Tomorrow’s Skills, Santander highlights three major societal shifts—changing attitudes to work, the rise of AI, and the transition to Net Zero—that will impact the British workforce. The report calls for increased investment in training and upskilling to address these challenges.
The report reveals that UK workers are spending 20% less time on training than they did a decade ago, despite more than half acknowledging that they need to upskill to stay relevant in their roles. Barriers such as time constraints, costs, and lack of flexibility are preventing workers from accessing training, contributing to the country’s stagnant productivity levels. Moreover, 69% of workers expect to remain in the same field for their entire careers, and 72% believe their jobs will still exist in 10 years—indicating a lack of awareness of the potential impact of emerging technologies and societal changes.
Mike Regnier, CEO of Santander UK, stressed the importance of education and skills development, stating: “The UK cannot afford to fall behind in this critical area if we want our economy to grow and remain competitive.” He called on the government to focus its skills strategy on addressing three key areas:
Changing attitudes to work:
The rise of hybrid working has introduced new challenges for managers and leaders, with generational differences in attitudes towards remote work. While 65% of 25–34-year-olds view hybrid working positively for the UK economy, only 27% of 55–64-year-olds share this view.
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