Employers need to look more seriously at increasing basic skills in their workforce, according to a report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The report, Basic Skills in the Workplace – Opening Doors to Learning, looks at organisations that have invested in basic skills and case studies and states that successful companies need higher levels of these skills in their whole workforce than ever before.

The CIPD argues that organisations should provide more training support to lower-skilled workers given that they receive less training than their senior colleagues.

Victoria Gill, CIPD adviser on training and development said: “As the UK economy continues to enjoy a period of near full employment, the need to invest heavily in promoting learning remains as important as ever.

"But while there is undoubted evidence that UK organisations have the will and commitment to invest in training, it is also clear that this needs to be targeted more widely and wisely. We hope that this report can go some way towards helping organisations examine the relevance of basic skills training to their organisations."