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.”
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.
