More than £38bn spent on training to beat skills shortages
Training spend per employee hit a record high last year, latest figures show.
The National Employer Skills Survey 2007, published by the Learning and Skills Council, found the average money spent per employee on training increased by 11% from £1,550 in 2005 to £1,750 in 2007.
Overall spend on training reached £38.6bn, up 16% from 2005, accounting for an increase in real terms of £3.5bn after inflation.
The research showed the proportion of vacancies that could not be filled because of skills shortages is down from 25% in 2005 to 21% in 2007, affecting 5% of employers.
Skills secretary John Denham said: "The need to improve the nation's skills is a key priority for the government as we face increasing competition from across the globe. It is vital for everyone - businesses, employees and government - to work together to ensure we have the skills we need to succeed."
The survey of 79,000 employers also found 12% more black and minority ethnic groups and 31% more workers aged 46 and over had used Train to Gain - the government's skills brokerage service - in 2007 compared to 2005.
RELATED ARTICLES
- Train to Gain tops 100,000 companies as B&Q signs up
- Government launches £200m training project to tackle skills shortages
- Government approves sport, creative and hospitality skills academies
- e-skills UK invites input to new strategic plan
- Skills Pledge sign-up low as only 13% of UK employers take an interest
- Skills pledge: View to a skill
- Change management: The more things change...
| Visit our Training & Coaching Today channel for the latest training, learning and development news, opinion and analysis |
COMMENTS
In these trying times of finding adequate labor and skills to run the operations, we certainly are spending much more on training costs. However, I have get frustrated with the organizations that throw training at a crowd as if one size fits all. This is a horrible waste of these training resources. Choosing the right audience sounds like a simple endeavor; however, we hardly ever get it right. In many training sessions, you have a few who really would benefit more from a synopsis or a quick email rather than the full-blown course. As you choose your audience, try to get away from the group or department mindset. Training the wrong person not only wastes your time and the company’s money, but it also aggravates the person you have at gunpoint.
As a whole, we all developed our training model after old Mrs. Snodgrass in the third grade. She was the teacher, you were the pupil, and you better sit there and be quiet as she drones on about the ABCs. Adult learners are quite different. Unlike third-graders, most adults see themselves as responsible for their own decisions and lives. Adult need to know why they need to learn something. In addition, each class may have a wide variety of ages in attendance. As much as it hurts me, I will be the first to confess that the older people need more time to learn than the younger set. People in their fifties, sixties, and seventies can learn new techniques and acquire new knowledge just as well as younger people. However, the older ones will need a little more time. When you mix your training class with both young and old, you will have some who are bored and some who are struggling. Be aware of this and come up with creative solutions. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR www.michaellgooch.com
Michael L. Gooch, SPHR
ALERTS
 | Alert me when new articles are added which relate to these topics |
Training strategies | |
| Alert me when new articles are added which relate to these specialism areas |
Training, learning & development | |
