06/12/2010
Over two-thirds of organisations don't have the money or time to invest sufficiently in training, according to new research from a software company.
As reported by HR Magazine, the survey of HR and IT managers suggests that a quarter of businesses are planning to plug gaps in skills through recruitment instead of training.
Julian Homes, from the company behind the survey, was quoted by Personnel Today as saying: "I am really surprised that only one in three businesses in the UK are making the time and investing the money into training existing staff."
"People, together with their skills, are the most important part of any business, and those who fail to invest in their employees' development will fail to deliver business value from their IT systems, value which is essential to business survival in today's economic climate," said Mr Homes.
However, the Institute of Directors revealed earlier this month that 80 per cent of employers had maintained, or improved, their spending on training in the past six months.
The news comes after the government pledged to tackle the current failings in skills training, and boost engagement in learning. That's because skills improvement is vital when it comes to achieving sustainable growth, said business secretary Vince Cable.
Any business that wants to train staff but feels constrained by their budget should consider sales finance as a way of generating cash to pay for training. Investing in staff will not only boost morale by showing that the employer values them enough to boost their skills, and will encourage them to invest in the company by committing to the business in the long term, as they help drive business growth.
Laura Nineham