Business leaders give strong backing to <br>vocational education

UK company directors see value of skills-based training but not taking sufficient action

New findings released today reveal that UK plc holds vocational qualifications in high esteem and recognises the role industry has to play in the provision of such education, but is failing to take sufficient action.

In light of this week’s CBI conference, the findings of the poll*, commissioned by Foundation Degrees, serve as a call to action to businesses to take direct steps to resolve their skills needs. The results show that HR directors are leading the way, with 98% calling for industry to play a leading role in the provision of vocationally orientated education, as opposed to 84% of other directors. However, at present, only 25% of business leaders say that their company is involved in the design and delivery of vocational training.

The poll shows that two-thirds of company directors believe that their sector is feeling the effects of skills shortages, while more than half of respondents claim their own businesses have suffered directly.

While HR directors might be expected to support work-based learning, it is refreshing to discover that directors across the business are also quick to recognise the benefits of vocational qualifications:
*89% of directors see a clear link between vocational training and increased profitability, with this figure rising to 96% among HR directors

*88% of directors (94% of HR directors) say that training helps up-skill existing staff and improves staff satisfaction

*79% of directors (87% of HR directors) believe work-based learning provides excellent preparation for individuals entering the workplace.

Despite public suspicion that vocational education is seen as the poor relation to academic qualifications, UK businesses demonstrate strong commitment to the concept of work-based learning. 84% of directors feel that senior management within their firm and sector are definitely not dismissive of vocational qualifications. Perhaps the greatest endorsement of all is that 70% of HR directors and more than half of all directors who didn’t do a vocational qualification at the time of entering their industry believe that to have done so would have benefited their own career.

The findings also highlight a number of practical issues to be faced, in terms of companies exploiting the potential of vocational training to up-skill their staff. It emerges from the poll that while directors view themselves as enlightened with regard to vocational education, they see the rest of their company as less so. While 88% of HR directors say that they personally recognise the benefits of giving time off work for vocational training, they claim that 42% of their company would disagree.

In addition, more than one in three HR directors state that their training budget is restrictive. Given the fact that the financial director, who allocates training budgets, is most likely to be sceptical about the benefits of giving time off work for vocational training (21% v. only 6% of HR directors), this is perhaps unsurprising.

However, most companies claim to be doing their best to redress the balance of skills. 80% of companies are willing to support staff by offering them time of work to train, while more than two-thirds of companies will also pay for such courses. However, if companies were to play a greater role in the design and delivery of such courses, the return on this investment is likely to increase.

Paul Davies, spokesperson for Foundation Degrees, comments: It’s great to see HR directors acting as torchbearers for vocational qualifications and we would encourage them to lead from the front by in terms of encouraging organisations to become involved in the provision of vocational training. The poll findings also show that senior management have a crucial re-educational job to do, tackling the mental barriers that exist towards vocational education within their own organisations. Only by recognising vocational training as central to profitability and by taking measures to integrate this in their company’s HR policy, can business leaders begin to bridge their skills gap.

Foundation Degrees have partnership with employers at the heart of the qualification and as such offer a practical solution for employers struggling to meet their skills needs. By becoming involved in the design and delivery of Foundation Degrees, employers can grow their own on two levels - by taking on graduates with skills directly relevant to their industry, as well as upskilling existing staff to ensure that they are performing to their optimum potential.

For further information on Foundation Degrees, please log on to www.foundationdegree.org.uk or phone 0845 6022260.