Careers & Skills
Employer-funded training may carry significant retention value for workers without college degrees, according to new research released by Citizens and Jobs for the Future.
The survey of 1,000 low- and moderate-income U.S. adults ages 20 to 50 without a college degree found that 92% would be more likely to stay with an employer that invests in training and skill development.
Workers are putting a premium on skills
Seventy-seven percent said learning new skills is the best way to improve career opportunities, while 87% said they are willing to make personal financial sacrifices to invest in career training. Seventy percent said artificial intelligence can make skills development more accessible.
The findings come from a specific surveyed population and should not be generalized to all U.S. workers.
Why employers should care
For employers competing for workers who do not have four-year degrees, the results suggest training can function as both a talent-development tool and a retention benefit. The survey does not establish that training investment causes employees to stay, only that respondents said it would make them more likely to do so.
Citizens said it expects to deploy about $7.5 million in workforce-development funding in 2026 as part of a three-year, $20 million commitment announced in 2025.
What to watch: whether employer-funded credentials and work-based learning increasingly show up in retention strategies for frontline and middle-skill roles.
Source
- Citizens Financial Group, “Citizens Reinforces Workforce Development Commitment as New Research Highlights Growing Demand for Skills Development and Workforce Pathways,” October 6, 2026. Citizens
Featured photo: A trainer speaking with a group of workers. Representative image of employer training; not participants in the Citizens survey. Photo: Vitaly Gariev via Unsplash (Unsplash License).
