The number of Chief Learning Officers (CLO) is set to surge in the UK, new research reveals.
Learning solutions provider Thomson NETg predicts the number of CLOs on the board will jump to over 50% by 2011.
Currently, only one FTSE 100 company has a CLO on the board, compared to more than half of listed companies in America.
Thomson NETg says that over the next five years businesses will embrace development as a leading function as they take a more strategic view of staff training.
Joe Marcelle, UK MD at Thomson NETg, said better awareness of the CLO's function would improve the role's status.
"The rise of the CLO is comparable to that of the CIO. As more companies realise how instrumental staff development is to achieving business objectives, the empty seat in the boardroom will seem increasingly obvious," he said.
"The corporate landscape is in permanent flux due to burgeoning globalisation and regulation, and upskilling staff to navigate this evolution is necessary for a business to survive.
"As more companies invite a CLO on to their board, the role of staff development will finally achieve its pivotal place at the heart of corporate practice," he added.
