The study, Closing the learning gap: From chief executive vision to middle management reality, also found senior leaders think middle managers should have more control over the training budget.
It identified middle managers as the most in need of training and development, as 47% of the 150 respondents said they do not have the skills to develop future leaders.
Kath Fontana, managing director at construction firm BAM, said: "Middle managers are the people who create cash in a business, they control and develop the workforce to deliver the ultimate output to our customers.
"Senior managers should be doing more of the leading and coaching middle managers."
The report explores the current state of play of learning and development in business and looks at how seriously senior management are taking L&D.
Trevor Gibson, partner at law firm Wragge & Co, said he agreed middle management need further support and development from senior management to ensure they realise the chief executive's vision.
"I think the key question is how you break the disconnect between senior management, who understand the value of training, knowledge and education - and middle management, who are able to use the excuse of budget," he said.
Corporate vision
The report found the 'corporate vision' of employee learning doesn't match the reality.
Around 95% of CEOs are either personally committed to L&D or believe in its importance, suggesting that employee learning is now a common vision in most boardrooms.
However, almost half (47%) feel this vision is not being successfully implemented.
Budget constraints
The study also found the major barriers to offering L&D opportunities to employees are a lack of budget and time constraints.
The study identified several ways of dealing with these issues, such as cross-skilling, developing tangible links between training and performance, and building ROI measurements and evaluation into the programme.
Sue Blight, head of L&D at Dairy Crest, said: "The role of L&D has to be tightly connected to the business and the chief executive. If you have senior sponsorship, they become emotionally attached and committed to the success of programmes. And that in itself provides the leadership for the business to deliver great training and development that add value to the business."
