MENA Professionals Would Leave Their Jobs for Better Training

On-the-job training has proven its importance for professionals across the world and certainly for those in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, who largely agree on its many advantages. According to a new poll by Bayt.com, more than nine in 10 (91.4%) respondents deliberately look for companies with clear training and development programs during their job search.

Nearly seven in 10 respondents (69.3%) agree that aside from salary, what matters most to them when considering job offers is the availability of ‘training and development opportunities’ at work. This was followed by 12.3 percent who said they care most about ‘work/life balance’, 10 percent who care most about ‘type of work and responsibilities’, and 8.4 percent who care most about ‘office environment and culture’.

Around 85 percent of respondents claim that they would leave their current job to find better training and career development opportunities in another role.

Poll Topline
Perhaps influencing the overall perception of on-the-job training as a necessity in the workplace, the Bayt.com poll found that more than three quarters (77.3%) of respondents’ workplaces provide training and development opportunities, and 83 percent agree that most entry-level jobs have a strong program for training and development in place for the employee. When asked about the quality of training and development programs at their workplace, nearly eight in 10 respondents (77.1%) said they are satisfied with the available opportunities at their workplace, with over two thirds (69.4%) saying they are ‘very satisfied’ with this aspect.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents (63.3%) cited increased productivity as the greatest advantage, while the remaining one-third (28.7%) cited increased productivity in addition to increased employee satisfaction, improved employer brand and culture, and improved succession planning.

When asked about their expectations for on-the-job training, more than eight in 10 respondents (82.1%) said that they expect their employer to have a succession or promotion plan in place for them before starting a new job. With upward mobility in mind, 88.2 percent of MENA professionals also said that it is essential that they have a mentor or coach during their first few months at a new job.

In regards to the topics or focus of training opportunities that professionals in the MENA region care about the most, the great majority (80%) of respondents voted for job-related and technical training opportunities at work. This was followed by 12.2 percent of respondents who voted for leadership development training, while 7.8 percent voted for basic soft skills development.

When it came to the most effective training approaches, 80.7 percent of respondents said that ‘online courses and learning resources’ are the most effective, followed by 12.7 percent who said that about ‘conferences, workshops, and industry events’, 3.8 percent who voted for ‘traditional classroom-style learning’, and 2.8 percent who voted for ‘shadowing and peer-to-peer’ learning.

“The poll has allowed us to collate information on what MENA professionals believe is important when it comes to their learning and training options. The majority of respondents have made their professional improvement and career development a top priority, which also influences their job search behavior and preferences,” said Suhail Masri, Vice President of Employer Solutions, Bayt.com.

 

Data for the 2017 Bayt.com ‘On-The-Job Training in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll was collected online from September 13, 2017 to October 24, 2017. Results are based on a sample of 7,172 respondents from participating countries including UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Iraq and others.

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