Employer training pilots (ETPs), the Government-backed initiative aimed at
encouraging employers to train low-skilled workers, are successfully benefiting
employers who would otherwise not in engage in training.
Research by the Institute for Employment Studies reveals a significant
take-up rate, with 2,000 employers and 10,000 staff signed up across the UK.
The £170m pilots, jointly developed by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC),
the Department for Education and Skills and HM Treasury, have been under way in
six areas across the country since September 2002, and have recently been
extended to operate in an additional six areas, starting this summer.
The study shows that employers believe the pilots are providing employees
with skills that are important for their businesses (96 per cent), and that
they are also improving productivity (82 per cent).
Chairman of the LSC, Bryan Sanderson said the employers – which have never
previously engaged in the development of their workforces – are now training
their low-skilled employees through the ETPs.
