Employers taking bold steps to maximise impact of learning and development

Employers taking bold steps to maximise impact of learning and development in response to current economic challenges

Sweeping change is on the agenda for the delivery of training in UK organisations, according to this yearís CIPD Learning and Development survey, with moves towards more strategic implementation, greater scrutiny of programmes delivered and even greater emphasis on the growing role of line managers as a result of the recession.

With median training spend per employee falling by almost a third this year as a result of a worsening economy (from 300 last year to 220 this year), the survey of almost 900 learning and development managers indicates that employers are responding by prioritising the training that most impacts on business survival.

The biggest change anticipated over the next five years is a closer integration of learning and development activity with business strategy (65%) to produce more effective results. A similar proportion of respondents (60%) anticipate a greater emphasis on the monitoring and evaluation of training effectiveness so that organisations continue to offer training that has the biggest impact on the business bottom line.

Just under half of respondents expect more responsibility to be devolved to both learners (42%) and line managers (46%). As a result, half of respondents (47%) are making greater use of coaching by line managers, increasingly seen as the key implementers of training. Sixty-one per cent of those surveyed are investing in new programmes to develop the role of line managers.

Unsurprisingly, with less money to spend but with a keen eye on making effective use of the money available, the greatest area of growth in training methods are in-house development programmes, with over half (57%) of respondents saying that they have used them more in the past two years. Similarly, employers also continue to view in-house development and coaching by line managers as the most effective learning and development practices (48% and 47% respectively).

Claire McCartney, Organisation, Resourcing and Performance Adviser, CIPD, says:

ìEmployee training and development remains an important priority for employers but budgets are being squeezed. Learning and Development professionals have an important role to play in helping organisations through the downturn.

ìTo make the best of the current situation professionals must prove unequivocally that the development they provide is aligned to the business strategy and will make a strong difference to current and future performance.î