F&I Management & Training

Nearly half of the companies who invest in staff training end up saving money, according to a new report by Cranfield School of Management, on behalf of government body learndirect. On the flip-side, the Sector Skills Development Agency says companies that don’t bother with training at all are 2.5 times more likely to fail. So although it might be tempting to slash that training budget as the downturn starts to bite, it could turn out to be a big mistake.

In ‘Nurturing Talent’, which it describes as 'the first academic report to examine the impact of external recruitment versus developing internal talent’, Cranfield found that 44% of companies who invested in training saved money in the long run (through extra productivity or lower recruitment costs), 33% saw an improvement in staff motivation, and 52% enjoyed better retention. Indeed, 78% of employers felt skills development was more important to their company than recruitment. ‘Effective training can reduce staff turnover and absenteeism, improve motivation, increase productivity, help boost and improve customer satisfaction,’ says Sarah Jones, the boss of learndirect’s parent Ufi.

One happy customer is Mansfield-based Mines Rescue. You can probably guess what it used to do, but as the UK coal mining industry has gone into decline, it has re-invented itself as a health and safety training provider and consultancy. Through the Learning to Work scheme, staff have used their on-the-job experience to work towards broader qualifications. ‘Because Mines Rescue is a constantly changing, non-traditional business, tailor-made training that meets the needs of our business is a viable and extremely worthwhile investment,’ says manager Andrew Watson.

If you can offer staff training without it affecting your day-to-day business, that has to make it a more compelling proposition – and if you can improve motivation and retention in the process, the business case gets even stronger...

DATED: 06.11.08

FEED: MGT