British businesses too busy to plug the skills gap

A new study has shown that time, not money, is holding back the skills levels of the British workforce. John Weston, Chairman of learndirect, has today called on British businesses to make greater use of e-learning to provide greater efficiency in improving staff skills and enabling the UK to remain competitive in Europe and across the world.

In a new take on the cash rich, time poor theme which characterises life in Britain, research undertaken by e-learning network learndirect into training trends has shown that training provision within Britainís businesses is suffering due to a shortage not of money, but of time.

Almost half of HR professionals reported an increase in their training budgets over the last twelve months. 1 However 7 out of 10 of those questioned believe their employees find it difficult to make time for training and over a third agreed that staff who sign up for training regularly fail to complete the course due to time pressures.

John Weston, today representing learndirect at the CBI Conference, is calling upon UK businesses to become more innovative in developing and tailoring training solutions for employees:

E-learning gives employees the flexibility to learn at their own time and pace, whilst offering employers a training solution that can save both time and money. One size doesnít fit all when it comes to training, but businesses do benefit from a blend of traditional and innovative approaches to training.

According to learndirect research, flexible training is the preferred option for HR directors, both in terms of cost and time management. Over two thirds of HR directors agree that combining e-learning with more traditional methods of training such as classroom teaching and mentoring is a more effective solution to plugging skills gaps than simply increasing budgets.

John Weston, Chair of learndirect, commented:
In todayís economic climate, Britain must take action and explore new ways to tackle the skills deficit in order to increase Britainís position in the global market.

Our research indicates that just throwing money at training isnít going to solve the problem. Investment in time is just as important as financial resourcing. Only solutions offering staff the chance to learn in a flexible and stimulating way that fits into their daily working lives will lead to course completion and will ultimately reap the overall business benefits that the UK economy needs.