Investors in People UK have welcomed the Budget announcement, which proposes £30 million Government investment in training, enabling more small firms to be recognised with the Investors in People Standard. Ruth Spellman, Chief Executive of Investors in People comments: "I believe that Gordon Brown's proposal offers a real opportunity for more small firms to invest in their people, to the benefit of UK plc. By developing the potential of their people, the smallest businesses can be world class, and the Investors in People Standard can help them to achieve this."

Currently, IiP have over 10,000 companies employing fewer than 50 people recognised as Investors in People out of 25,000 organisations which have the Standard, and over the next 3 years IiP aim to attract many more SMEs. They have set up a Small Firms Task Force involving all their key partners, banks and accountancy bodies to get their message across to small businesses - for example, via a new online resource for SMEs.