Investors in People will play a vital role in the Government’s plans to
increase the productivity of the UK’s workforce, according to Education and
Skills Secretary Estelle Morris.
Morris made the claim at a conference to mark the 10th anniversary of the
Investors in People standard, which was introduced as a framework to help
companies succeed and compete through improved people performance.
Nearly a quarter of UK employees now work for Investors in People-accredited
organisations.
"Investors in People lies at the heart of the Government plans to
increase the skills and productivity of our workforce.
"The UK still lags behind many international competitors in these areas
– a gap we are keen to address. If we can increase productivity by just 0.1 per
cent every year the economy would generate around £10bn more output over the
next 10 years," said Morris.
"It is clear that learning is the key to our economic success. Only by
raising the skills levels of our workforce and investing in training and
development can we begin to match the levels of the best in the world."
Ruth Spellman, CEO of Investors in People, believes the lack of workforce
training and skills shortages are two of the principal factors behind the UK’s
lack of competitiveness in the international market.
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"The major challenge for companies in the UK is to recognise the link
between staff performance and improved productivity and to invest in our most
important resource our people," she commented.
By Ben Willmott
