New Schoox Research Reveals a Frontline Workforce Hungry for Growth, But Underserved by Traditional Training

Survey of frontline workers finds employees want growth, practical skills, and learning tied directly to performance — not more perks or generic training

AUSTIN, Texas, July 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Schoox, the Intelligent Learning & Growth Platform for frontline enterprises, announced today the results of a new survey of U.S. frontline workers that reveals a growing gap between workplace training and frontline performance. While frontline employees overwhelmingly confirm they value learning and development, most say the training they receive is not helping them perform better, advance faster, develop new skills, or build long-term careers.

Of the U.S. frontline workers aged 18-34 surveyed, 66% feel their company does not provide the right training to help them execute better in their job. And 79% say lack of time or management not prioritizing training are the biggest barriers to completing learning programs.

The research also challenges several assumptions about younger frontline workers, including the belief that perks outweigh career growth and their preferred learning styles.

• 40% say more purposeful learning and development would make them stay at their job another year, compared to just 23% who chose perks such as free food or sponsored social gatherings.
• 75% prefer hands-on learning and shadowing, reinforcing that frontline workers want practical, real-world skills-based training experiences.
• 65% want their workplace training to be microbursts of information or shorter-form content.
• Young frontline workers want training that is more engaging and interactive training (42%) and more personalized/job-specific (34%).

As AI adoption continues to increase in workforce learning, over half (57%) say they would feel somewhat or completely comfortable with AI tools training them.

"In the hospitality industry, your frontline team is the brand experience," said Drew Brees, Hall of Fame quarterback, restaurant owner of Surge Entertainment and Smalls Sliders, and a customer of Schoox. "You can invest in branding and technology, but if your people are not confident, connected, and continuously developing, the business feels it immediately. This research reinforces what we've seen firsthand: frontline workers want a strong playbook for success and a clear path forward. When you invest in training that helps everyone, you build stronger teams and more consistent customer experiences."

Hospitality Leads, Retail Trails on Frontline Learning and Retention Metrics

Schoox's research revealed significant differences in how frontline workers across industries view learning and development. Hospitality employees emerged as the strongest advocates for workforce development, with 50% identifying learning and development as their top retention driver and 50% saying meaningful learning opportunities would make them stay longer than perks, culture initiatives, or increased visibility into company strategy. Hospitality workers also reported high levels of training relevance (81%) and the strongest leadership connection.

Retail workers, meanwhile, ranked last across every learning-related measure, including training relevance, leadership recognition, and learning's influence on retention. The findings suggest that organizations that invest in meaningful frontline development create stronger alignment between employee growth and business success. Responses demonstrate retailers have a significant opportunity to improve retention, engagement, and performance through more effective skills-based training programs.

Source: Schoox's 2026 frontline workforce survey

Additional findings point to broader organizational and cultural challenges:

• Nearly half of frontline workers do not know who their company's CEO is.
• 53% say interacting with customers or clients is their weakest skill, signaling a growing communication skills gap across frontline industries.
• 43% say practical execution and product knowledge training would have the greatest impact on their performance.
• A majority (67%) say it is important that training be accessible on their phone.

"Frontline workers value training, but when it isn't built based on their current skill level or specific capabilities they need to master, it fails to improve performance," said Sandra Moran, Chief Marketing Officer at Schoox. "This research emphasizes that workers are not asking for more courses. They are asking for practical, role-specific training that helps them perform better, advance faster, and build a future with their employer. Learning is no longer a one-and-done support function. It is critical infrastructure for upskilling to improve an organization's operating results over time."

Through the Schoox Learning Impact Suite, organizations can identify role-based skills, generate targeted learning programs, and measure learning impact against operational KPIs and business outcomes.

"Too many organizations still treat learning like a compliance exercise instead of a business driver," Moran added. "Companies that connect skills, learning, and operational outcomes will have a significant advantage in execution, retention of employees and customers, and competitive advantage over the next decade."

Methodology

The study surveyed 1,000 frontline professionals between 18-34 years old. Conducted in May 2026, the findings provided crucial insights to help leaders drive meaningful improvements to their approach to learning and the business results their organizations can achieve.

The result is learning that is not just delivered – but engineered for measurable outcomes.
Learn more about Schoox Learning Impact Suite, their frontline-focused platform and their global customers' successes, or request a demo. 

About Schoox

Schoox is the Intelligent Learning & Growth Platform for frontline enterprises — purpose-built to go beyond traditional learning management by engineering learning to reliably drive business performance.

Where conventional LMS platforms stop at learning delivery, Schoox goes further. We identify role-based skills, generate purpose-built learning programs, and measure outcomes against operational KPIs. And uniquely, we forecast the expected return of a training investment before a program ever launches. The result: L&D that operates not as a cost center, but as a measurable driver of enterprise performance.

Trusted by global brands including KIOTI Tractor, Five Guys, The Fresh Market, Sport Clips Haircuts, Sonesta Hotels, and Wingstop, Schoox is defining a new category of intelligent learning, engineered with AI to ensure every training dollar delivers business results.

Learn more at www.schoox.com.

SOURCE Schoox LLC