Employers urged to do more for basic skills
The CBI and the TUC have released a new report, “Brushing up the basics”, on the basic skills challenge facing the UK. It states that one in five adults do not have the literacy or numeracy skills of most children starting secondary school.The basic skills difficulties of seven million adults are said to cost the […]
Implementing a training solution in the face of inadequate systems and procedures – opinion
Dave Green, senior consultant at Training for Advancement, offers a trainer’s perspective on the system failures that prevent organisations from making the most of development opportunities. Having spent many years working in a hard-nosed profit-focussed organisation, I have learnt that for any training intervention to be truly successful we must be able to prove we […]
Project managers want more management training, finds survey
According to a survey of project managers by Learning Tree International, almost 90% felt they would benefit from management training, in comparison to just 13% who stated that technical training would be beneficial to their role. The survey suggests a mismatch between the challenges faced and training given to project managers. More than half of […]
Non-executive directors need training in their roles
Research carried out by KPMG in the UK suggests that non-executive directors (NEDs) recognise that their knowledge is limited in certain areas, and that they are keen to receive more training and appraisal of their work. The survey showed that whilst NEDs felt confident in their level of knowledge in areas such as financial performance, […]
Keeping leadership on track – feature
This feature was contributed by Roy Davis, Head of Communications at SHL Group. There was a time when organisations could sleep soundly at night assured of the long-term loyalty of their senior managers and chief executives. However, the dynamics of the workplace are changing and today’s companies are running scared.Unlike management, leadership is a high-risk […]
A brief history of e-learning – feature
“A brief history of e-learning” was contributed by Brian Holley, Managing Director of Sherpa Integrated Learning Ltd. It all began with a dog and a pigeon – well, several of each actually. In the early twentieth century American psychologist J. B. Watson laid the foundations for a school of ‘behavioural’ psychology. His ideas were built […]
The art of closing – feature
This feature was contributed by Gavin Ingham of Performance Coaching International. One of the questions I often get asked as a sales coach by sales people, brokers and customer account/relationship managers alike is, “How do I close sales better? What closing techniques would you recommend?” In my experience, closing is one of the three most […]
Small Business Council recommends incentives for training
The Small Business Council has produced its second Annual Report, which includes some interesting reflections on national training policy. Ths Skills section opens with the declaration: “The current system is not working because the educators largely decide the type and quality of skills provision that is available. The Government needs to stimulate a demand for […]
Employers to get more say on training policy and management development
Adult Learning and Skills Minister Ivan Lewis has pledged that employes will get more control over moves to tackle skill shortages in their sectors, as part of the further expansion of Sector Skills Councils. Mr Lewis also praised the leadership shown by employers spearheading the five trailblazer Sector Skills Councils set up so far. Education […]
Public speaking: ‘daunting but essential’
According to research by The Aziz Corporation, 67 per cent of company directors find public speaking their most daunting business activity. 45 per cent find addressing a large conference difficult, compared to 26 per cent who are bothered by reviewing financial data and 15 per cent preparing business plans. However, despite this widespread fear of […]
WOLCE preview
This year, WOLCE’s 10th anniversary sees a change of name, reflecting a change to encompass all channels of professional learning: it’s now the World of Learning Conference and Exhibition. The event comprises a two-day conference and exhibition with an evening Gala Dinner Ceremony (after dinner speech by England Rugby Captain, Will Carling), for this year’s […]
Management training is inadequate and suffers from poor attendance, finds survey
According to a survey by learning innovator Cambridge Online Learning, UK businesses are wasting up to 20% of their training budgets due to employees failing to attend designated business courses. Over half of those organisations who calculated wastage admitted to losses (which could total somewhere between £217m and £871m per year), and only a fifth […]
Demand for unskilled workers falls
The CBI and Mercer Human Resource Consulting annual survey of employment trends shows 29 per cent of firms will recruit fewer people without qualifications over the next three years. But demand for well-qualified people will grow, with 47 per cent of firms expecting to take on more graduates.According to government data, the UK has around […]
Why management training isn’t working
Gail Brown, the managing partner of ExecPlus, looks at the current state of management training. What was your last management training course like? Let me guess… you got given a case study, you took on the roles of the characters (with the regulation embarrassed giggling and shuffling), the rest of your group pulled you to […]
Bespoke versus off-the-shelf? Weathering the economic storm – opinion
Ian Steward, associate director, CMG Training, shares his view about whether there is a real slowdown in training spend. During boom times when organisations had money to spare, few had call to review the effectiveness of the training strategies they had in place. However, when things started to take a turn for the worse, the […]
Languages: recruitment v training – feature
Catherine Cook, founder and managing director of Inter-Monde, looks at the advantages of training in languages above recruiting. The world is unarguably becoming smaller, with globalisation dragging the continents closer together with every new advance in technology. Companies are finding themselves competing on a much smaller battlefield against increasing armies of competition. As cultures assimilate, […]
Shortage of graduates with sufficient skills
A survey conducted amongst 104 HR Directors/graduate recruiters and sponsored by Park Human Resources and the Guardian has given a snapshot of recruiters’ dilemmas. A decline in the quality of graduates has caused recruitment difficulties Thirty percent of recruiters felt that recruiting the right calibre of graduates had become harder over the past 12 months. […]
Job-related training – opinion
This letter from Mr George Edwards was first published in The Times. Sir, Britain is not entirely “lagging on job-related training” (report, early editions, July 31). The recent report from the Adult Learning Inspectorate refers predominantly to government-funded National Vocational Qualifications and Key Skills. Most employer-funded training, which is widespread and thriving, at least in […]
How do employees rate leadership?
‘Lessons in Leadership’, a survey commissioned by consultants Opp identifies a common failure by leaders to match employee expectations.Main findings– Only four in 10 respondents are satisfied with the quality of leadership in their organisations.– Trust is key to good leadership,with 69 per cent of respondents believing this to be an absolutely essential quality. Yet […]
Training: To levy or not to levy?
The long-running issue of whether companies should be required to pay a training levy raises its head again in the Scotsman.Writing for the publication, Keith Aitken takes a look at some recent research undertaken by Dr Christine Greenhalgh for the Institute of Fiscal Studies, which compares the systems in France, where an employer training levy […]
