Although most adults in England think training is worthwhile, less than one in four are investing in it.
A survey by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) found 57% of adults in England think training is a worthwhile investment of time and money. But there are wide regional variations, with 65% of respondents in the West Midlands saying investing in training is worthwhile compared to 50% of those polled in the North West.
Only 15% of respondents in Yorkshire said they were investing in training, compared to 31% in London and 28% in the South East and the West Midlands. Overall, 24% of respondents across England said they were taking training courses.
Minister for skills David Lammy said the regional differences “reveal that a perception gap still exists for some in regard to what training can offer.”
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The Learning and Skills Council said almost half of people in England are unaware of the return on investment that investing in training can bring individuals. It has launched a website – www.lsc.gov.uk/inourhands – that provides advice on training and learning opportunities.
The findings were based on telephone interviews with 1,726 adults carried out in March by pollster ICM Research.
