April 22, 2023 is Earth Day – in view of global developments, it feels like it is becoming more relevant every year. And a current evaluation of training data shows that the commitment of many companies and organizations to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) initiatives is growing.
The commitment of many companies and organizations to CSR and ESG initiatives is growing. On the one hand, this is driven by legal requirements regarding compliance with social and sustainability standards. On the other hand, the personal interest in management and the workforce of companies to contribute to a more sustainable world is also growing.
Investments in CSR are increasing
What courses and skills are in high demand when it comes to CSR and sustainability? Which sectors invest a particularly large amount of time in these topics? And has the time invested increased? As part of its annual “Lean Into Learning: Earth Day” report, Skillsoft analyzed the anonymized data of several million users of its corporate learning and training offerings from March 2022 to February 2023 to answer these questions.
72 percent of the professionals surveyed stated that CSR had become more important for their company. And 68 percent said their leadership team had increased their CSR investments. With a stronger focus on sustainability and the change towards a “green economy”, companies have recognized that they have to sensitize the entire workforce, inform them about changed business processes and standards and involve them in the change. Accordingly, a year-on-year comparison of the time invested in training and learning initiatives for sustainability qualification shows an increase of 115 percent (measured in hours invested). The number of individual apprentices has also increased by 60 percent.
CSR and ESG: The most popular topics and most active industries
The following comparison shows which industries and organizational areas consumed the largest volume of sustainability content and completed courses. There is a clear difference to the last investigation period.
Top 5 Industries (March 2022 – February 2023):
- Business Services
- Authorities and state organizations (government)
- Education and Training Services
- Manufacturing
- energy and utility companies
Top 5 Industries (March 2021 – February 2022)
- Authorities and state organizations (government)
- energy and utility companies
- Financial companies, banks and insurance companies
- Marketing, Sales, Advertising & PR
- Manufacturing
Looking at the five hottest courses of the past year shows a focus on understanding what it means to be a responsible company. Another focus is understanding the risks of not complying with sustainability standards and requirements.
The following five courses were the most popular in the current study period. The percentage after each course title shows the increase compared to the previous year:
Top 5 courses (March 2022 – February 2023):
(Percentage corresponds to the increase compared to the previous year)
- Impact of environmental changes on business (290 percent)
- Building a strategic commitment to sustainability (47 percent)
- Weigh up the risks and opportunities of implementing sustainability initiatives (95 percent)
- Creating a positive future for the climate, the planet, the organization and your life (38 percent)
- The responsible company: rethinking sustainability and success (34 percent)
A look at the search queries for learning content and courses also shows a rapidly growing interest in sustainability and climate issues. In a year-on-year comparison, there was a 46 percent increase in all sustainability-related searches such as “sustainability”, “climate change”, “recycling” or “environmental awareness”. The increase in total search volume is impressive: there was a year-on-year increase of 53 percent. Compared to 2021, the number of search queries even increased by 337 percent.
Customer loyalty and employer branding through sustainability initiatives
“In recent years, there has been a noticeable jolt through the corporate world in terms of understanding and commitment to CSR and sustainability,” explains Andreas Rothkamp, VP DACH at Skillsoft. “In addition to the obligations imposed by legal requirements, many organizations have also discovered the business benefits of these measures for themselves – from cost reductions through energy efficiency to customer loyalty and employee motivation. It is all the more important to involve the entire workforce in the initiatives – and that only succeeds through targeted information transfer and qualifications.” Skillsoft shows what these can look like with the following practical tips for CSR and ESG measures:
- Training offers: Involve the entire workforce so that each individual learns how he or she can contribute to sustainability efforts. Typical examples include courses on environmental, health, compliance and safety regulations.
- Planning: Invest in long-term plans that include 1-, 3-, and 5-year actions. These should also make it easier for new team members to enter the organization and pick up where predecessors left off.
- Investing in the workforce: Even more important than the financial investment is giving employees time and space and a sense of their place in the common mission.
- Eliminate silos: Hold your entire workforce accountable for implementing and supporting shared CSR and ESG priorities. Work with teams to better understand what skills team members are using in their current roles and how these can be incorporated into ongoing initiatives.
- Build qualifications: At the same time, this inventory enables you to get an overview of which skills and qualifications are available and which are missing, so that they can be built up in a targeted manner.
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