In my WSJ article, I wrote about the invisible forces reshaping careers—not just automation or AI, but access to growth. That idea is no longer abstract. The UpGrad “Skilling Smarter” Report (May 2025) confirms what many of us in the L&D space have long feared: learning inequality is the next fault line in the modern workplace.
Just as income inequality creates deep divides in society, learning inequality is quietly splitting our organizations from within. One group keeps climbing—armed with training, coaching, and confidence. The other? Stuck on the same rung, watching the future pass them by.
And the data is sobering:
50% of professionals received no training at all in FY24–25. Not one course. Only 16% trained quarterly, despite the shelf life of most skills now being less than 3 years. 61% of CHROs say they saw no measurable ROI from their skilling programs.
The Rise of Learning Elitism
We used to talk about learning cultures. But what we’re really seeing now is the rise of learning elitism. If you’re in the “right” function, on the “right” team, with a “visible” role, you likely get access. Everyone else? They’re left hoping mandatory compliance modules count as growth.
The LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2025 mirrors this finding: employees want soft skills, personal development, and strategic thinking. Yet, organizations continue to pour resources into only technical and compliance training. It’s like preparing for a chess match with only pawn training—technically correct, but strategically irrelevant.
Why
Imagine a gym that lets only 25% of its members use the equipment regularly. Then wonders why the others aren’t getting stronger. That’s what we’ve built in most workplaces: training that is either inaccessible, irrelevant, or out of sync with how people learn today.
And when access to learning becomes unequal, opportunity becomes unequal. This is not just an L&D problem. It’s a business risk, a DEI failure, and a leadership blind spot.
Three Big Ideas to Skilling Smarter
1. Democratize Development with “Skills Studios”
Break away from passive e-learning. Create monthly, rotating “Skills Studios” tied to real business challenges—like a creative lab meets leadership bootcamp. Everyone gets to build, present, and grow.
2. Launch a “SkillCoin” Economy
Reward learning and teaching alike. Employees earn “SkillCoins” for upskilling, mentoring, or contributing to knowledge hubs. Redeem them for coaching, stretch assignments, or even extra time off. Make learning a visible, valuable currency.
3. Design Gen-Wise Learning Journeys
One size never fits all. Gen X values depth and autonomy. Millennials want structure and relevance. Gen Z thrives on immersion and immediacy. Build learning journeys as if you were creating playlists for three different listeners—each one equally important.
The skilling crisis is not a supply problem—it’s a design problem.
We don’t need more content. We need braver architecture, smarter personalization, and leaders who see learning as the new equity.
The question is: who in your organization is being given that chance?
If you like this cartoon, use it. Yes go ahead.
Control Over Culture Will Be The Next Battleground in AI
Countries once competed to control oil, now they’re racing to build and control their own AI. It is their only chance to control their culture. Because AI isn’t just about tech or gadgets. It’s about culture, values, and control over what people see and believe.
If you like this newsletter, can you please help me take it to your colleagues
That’s kind of what’s happening right now with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Some countries are no longer okay with just using AI models built in the US or China. They want their own. Not just to “use” AI—but to own the tools that shape how AI thinks, what it says, and who it serves.
Let’s take France or India as an example where the choice to build sovereign AI is deeply rooted in their specific cultural context, not just economic or security concerns.
Why must English be the dominant language for AI?
There are words in many languages that have no equivalent in any other language. The terms “Uncle” and “Aunt” would be inadequate to explain what bua, chacha, fufa, maasi, would mean. Ask anyone who speaks Hindi. There are words in Bengali that cannot be translated eg nyaeka or gaaye pawra. (Ask a Bengali friend to explain)
Read about the fascinating projects happening in India to address the language opportunity
SHRM Tech 2025 Recap
I missed going to SHRM Tech 2025. It was a grand affair at the Jio Center in Mumbai. SHRM’s CEO of India, Apac and MENA, Achal Khanna did a neat recap of her top ten takeaways.
The tech conferences tell you to focus on the human elements – empathy, grit etc and to slow down in the middle of the noise.
Here is a #sketchnote that does the same.
Will let you know which one I liked more. But thanks for reading and sharing this…
