Although workers who receive training are more likely to stay with their current employer, such activity does not necessarily boost job satisfaction levels – in fact, it can go either way.
This is not least because pay increases following staff development work are minimal. According to a study undertaken by Birmingham University researchers Stephen McKay and Sin Yi Cheung on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions, hourly wages increased by an average of only 5% if workers had received training during 2006 and 2007 compared with 4% for those employees that had received none.
But men are currently more likely to see the financial benefits than women. Of those who were involved in workplace learning over the last year, males received an average pay rise of 4% compared with less than half that for females.
The proportion of workers undertaking training is on the wane, however. While such activity hit a high of 28% in 2003, the trend has been on the decline since 2005 among virtually all demographics apart from personnel aged 50 or older, who continue to enjoy increasing rates of training provision.
The report entitled 'Training and progression in the labour market' also revealed that the most likely groups to receive training in 2008 were young people, women, staff in the public sector, not for profit or large organisations, high earners and those relatively new to their job, who received training to help with their induction process.
