The DfEE has published preliminary findings from a survey initiated earlier this year into employer's attitudes and practices towards learning and training at work. They show:

• 41% of employers provided off-the-job training compared to 34% in the previous year
  
• The amount of both off-the-job and on-the-job training increases directly with the size of the organisations
  
• The proportion of employees receiving off-the-job training has increased from 22% to 26%
  
• Off-the-job training per employee has increased from 1.9 days to 2.2 days per year (average), but decreased for trainees from 8.6 to 8.2 days per year (average)
  
• The proportion of off-the-job training which leads to a formal qualification has increased from 43% to 46%
  
• The proportion of employers providing on-the-job training has increased from 58% to 66%
  
• Most on-the-job training is provided by a supervisor or line manager (78%)
  
• Three quarters of employers who had not provided any training said this was because their staff were adequately skilled
  
• 28% of employers said they had helped staff to learn things not directly related to their work
  
• 61% of employers believe the skill levels required by their staff are increasing, whilst 33% believe the level to be static
  
• Employers show variable levels of awareness for the different qualifications and training schemes: S/NVQ awareness - 90%; Youth Training - 63%; Modern Apprenticeships - 61%; New Deal - 58%; National Record of Achievement - 53%

You can participate online now in the major Training Trends 2001 survey which explores changing patterns in training method delivery, uptake of e-learning and organisational practices and attitudes towards learning and development. All entries and entered into a draw for a crate of wine! The aggregated results to date are immediately available.