Disconnect between employers and staff on skill training revealed

Skills training is vital for companies if they want to show employees that staff development is valued within their organisation, but it can be hard to get right.

New research conducted by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) shows that a disconnect has opened up between what employers think they are offering in terms of skills training and what members of staff believe they are receiving.

A high majority of businesses (85 per cent) claim in the report that they have provided a form of training and development activity for their members of staff in the last 12 months. However, a third (35 per cent) of the UK workers who were surveyed for the research said they do not receive this support.

Head of learning for work and head of research at NIACE Caroline Berry stated that companies need to tailor their skills training better if they value staff development and want to be able to demonstrate this to their employees.

"If you just try to adopt training methods across your whole workforce you will end up with certain groups who feel left out or disillusioned," she said, adding: "More than funding, they have to think about the type of training that works for staff. This will always be key."

E-learning could be a good way for companies to support staff development, as this allows employees to learn at their own pace.

Ms Berry recently explained that apprenticeships ought to be based on the stage an individual is at in their career, rather than their age.

Apprenticeships are becoming an increasingly popular option among young people, especially those who are reluctant to go to university and sign up to a large amount of debt in tuition fees and maintenance loans.

Another benefit of apprenticeships is they allow young people to continue developing their skills via e-learning at the same time as they are earning and improving their soft skills and knowledge on the job.