Happy Hump Day {{first_name | Toaster}} 🐪 ,

Everyone claims they want innovation until it’s time to train people for it. Most workplace learning still feels like it was designed for optics, rather than to keep ideas flowing. A new multi-country study of 3,200+ workers by InceptionU confirms that there is lots of training available but very little actual usefulness. You can download The Innovative Talent Report here.

On paper, learning and development look healthy. 81% of workers completed some form of training in the past year. In reality, only 32% said that training was directly applicable to their job.

In Canada, only about one in ten workers feels fully innovation-ready. The majority sit in the middle - open to change, but feel unsupported. They’re tired of being told to “be innovative” without being shown how, or given room to try without consequences.

The World Economic Forum and McKinsey have been telling us for years that the skills powering innovation are technical but also collaborative, creative, and involve critical thinking. Meanwhile, most workplace learning is still designed around risk mitigation, not growth.

The gap is starting to show up in retention as nearly 60% of workers say they’ve left or considered leaving a job in the past year, with learning opportunities playing a big role. Learning isn’t a perk anymore. When employees stop growing, they start looking elsewhere.

Even the “Gen Z will save us” narrative takes a hit here. Younger workers were actually more likely to resist innovation, not because they lack ambition, but because poorly designed training kills belief fast. If learning feels irrelevant, people stop buying into the vision.

What workers are asking for isn’t more software tutorials or one-off workshops. They want the MetaSkills that carry across roles, industries, and technologies. These aren’t “soft” skills - they’re the foundation of innovation, especially in a workforce facing constant change.

The report’s clearest takeaway is this: compliance training keeps companies protected, but applied learning keeps people engaged. Innovation isn’t a box to check; it comes from confidence, practice, and permission to try. Companies that invest in applied, human-centered learning get confident teams and better ideas. The rest will keep hosting brainstorms and wondering why nothing ever changes.

Cheers,
Team Toast 🥂

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