As 2026 approaches, employee retention sits near the top of every leadership agenda. With 93% of businesses concerned about retention, 44% of employees aged 18 to 34 would consider leaving if training and development fail to meet expectations.
When managers support upskilling, motivation rises, with 73% of supported employees feeling more motivated than employees without support. Less than half of employees (46%) feel they receive enough learning and development (L&D) at work – the rest see a gap, with 70% stating their organisation’s learning needs drastic improvement.
Many L&D programmes arrive as a one-size-fits-all package, which 68% say overlooks individual needs. People want personalised, flexible learning and development that leads to improved satisfaction and performance.
In this behind-the-scenes look, we explore how and why over 50% of Soldo employees have accessed the Soldo Development Fund this year, what they chose to learn, and how those choices have lifted both people and performance.
A fairer way to access learning
Research by CIPD and Accenture cites a lack of time (41%), limited budgets (40%) and lack of managerial support (29%) as the biggest barriers to learning.
Soldo removes much of that friction by giving employees direct ownership. They choose the learning opportunity, get approval in the app and pay using the Development Fund within hours.
“We believe in practising what we preach. Soldo’s Development Fund, powered by our own spend management platform, gives every employee £500 or €500 to shape their own learning journey. It gives us in HR real-time visibility into how our people are growing.” – Jo Smallwood, Head of Learning & Development
Every employee receives a Development Fund wallet of £500 or €500 each year. After online approval, the Soldo app issues a single-use virtual card, allowing employees to access the money when they’re ready to make a payment. HR and finance maintain overall visibility and control of the transaction.
Importantly, employees can choose a learning format that aligns with their role and responsibilities, ensuring everything remains relevant and manageable.
What employees chose to learn
The fund has expanded beyond standard courses and encompasses everything from professional memberships and formal exams to English lessons for Italian speakers.
With Soldo’s Development Fund, opportunities are more varied, which makes learning completely personalised in terms of what you need to learn, what you want to learn and how you like to learn.” – Jo Smallwood, Head of Learning & Development
With more than 320 L&D transactions in 2025, momentum has been sustained, demonstrating a strong appetite for growth.
The top three spend categories in 2025:
- Learning platforms such as Coursera, LinkedIn Learning and ChatGPT
- Books
- Conference tickets
Among those who accessed the Development Fund, the top three departments were:
- Technology
- Product
- Financial Services
“What’s particularly notable about Soldo’s Development Fund is its sustained uptake over the past four years. By contrast, traditional Learning Management Systems (LMS) often see initial engagement decline over time, especially when content is limited or fails to stay relevant to organisational priorities or individual development needs.”– Jo Smallwood, Head of Learning & Development, Soldo
Development at every stage
Learning is valued irrespective of tenure. Employees with over ten years at Soldo are just as likely to use the fund as those in their first six months, highlighting a long-term commitment to personal growth.
And simple, fair access removes the emotional discomfort of asking for budget. The result is a happier, more motivated team that continues to develop without admin or awkwardness.
“Accessing my development fund and getting approval was very smooth – it took less than a day. After that, I was able to access a card and make a purchase easily. This was especially helpful for securing the best pricing.” – Sofiia Savenko, Marketing Operations Specialist
Learning that lifts the whole company
Placing the fund inside Soldo’s own product does more than pay for courses. It lets people experience Soldo from request to approval to payment, which builds empathy with customers and sparks sharper ideas.
As skills grow, so does the confidence to contribute beyond a job title, strengthening support, collaboration and momentum.
“I’m now able to support different areas with new ideas. Learning has provided a challenge and stretch, which is energising and motivating.” – Yasmin Bou Karim, IT Project Manager
With successful initiatives showing a 17% increase in productivity and a 21% rise in profitability, a comprehensive L&D programme is beneficial to both people and business performance.
As the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and at Soldo, we highly encourage our autonomous and supportive approach to employee learning.
Book a demo to speak with a member of the team.
Discover how Soldo can help you create a simple, accessible and controlled L&D fund.
