Free Course Boosts Graduate Skills Level
A free online course is being launched to train graduates in the skills needed for professional success.Management development company, Management Training and Development Ltd (MTD) aims to provide graduates with communication and networking qualities, aspects which are not necessarily offered by degree courses.The ‘Grad Skills’ programme is a result of a survey of over fifty […]
Action Learning: The Linklaters Way
Des Woods, Global Head of Learning and Organisation Development at Linklaters talked to Annie Hayes about putting the action into learning. TrainingZONE Q1: Why should delegates attend the seminar on Putting the Action into Learning at the CIPD’s HRD 2006 conference?Woods: If you ask successful people, in whatever roles or jobs they do, where and […]
Linking Training to Business Needs: The Secrets of HMRC Revealed. By Sarah Fletcher
Linda Martin, Head of Learning at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) spoke to Sarah Fletcher about HMRC’s learning and development challenges, how they measure the success of their training investment and crucially just how they tie in their training to business needs. HR Zone Q1: How has the learning and development (L&D) strategy at HM […]
Job Cuts at Learning and Skills Council Sparks Industrial Unrest
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is risking possible industrial action over intentions to slash its workforce by more than a third.The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) are responding to the LSC’s plans to cut 1,120 jobs by June 2006 by sending over 2,000 ballot papers to its members.The union claims that a one-day […]
Businesses Demand Skills and Education Overhaul
Businesses are calling for a major overhaul of how workforce development is funded in order to create more skilled staff.The report from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) shows that UK firms are dissatisfied with the way government subsidies are allocated. The study recommends that training providers other than colleges are included in the funding […]
Inductions That Work – Slashing Staff Turnover By 90%
Running Inductions that WorkInduction programmes are regularly highlighted as crucial for employee retention and a skilled workforce, but all too often they can be, as TrainingZONE member Nik Kellingley puts it, “poorly thought out, poorly implemented, cut short due to “business demand” – and these courses may actually reduce performance, value and morale.”We asked Kellingley, […]
Lack of Financial Training is Business Time Bomb
The majority of UK business managers have not received any formal, financial training, new research reveals.Sixty-eight per cent of the 650 managers quizzed said they have never had any formal training, according to e-learning solutions provider Intellexis.More than three quarters (76%) of organisations in the Midlands and Wales fail to provide training for their managers, […]
Public Sector Is Largest Employer of Interim Management Skills
The public sector hired the most interim managers last year, according to latest research.One fifth (20%) of Britain’s 7,000 interim managers were employed by government bodies last year, whilst financial services, the second largest employer for such skills, used 13%.This, however, is a significant drop from the previous year, in which public organisations hired 35% […]
Inadequate Training Hampers Change Efforts
Poor training and development programmes are affecting the success of organisational change initiatives, new research warns.According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), organisations experience major restructuring every three years, yet their training processes are not sufficient to cope.This is reflected in market feeling, as employers are showing little confidence in the competency […]
Salary Increases Not Linked to Skills
Salary increases in 2006 will not be linked to skill levels, new research claims.Pay for senior staff is likely to rise at a similar rate to lower level clerical employees, according to Human Resources firm Hewitt Associates.The survey quizzed 1,000 private and public sector organisations across 15 European countries to compare the salary expectations of […]
Doctors Say Salary Isn’t Commensurate with Skills
Unions claim the skills of UK doctors and nurses are going unrecognised by government, as the Treasury challenges the call to give above-inflation pay rises to medics.The dispute is also delaying the publication of pay awards for prison officers, top armed forces ranks, senior civil servants and judges.According to the Financial Times, the objection to […]
Ex-Offenders are Source of New Labour
A government scheme plans to broaden the UK skills pool by encouraging employers to hire ex-criminals.The project, launched by the Home Office and National Probation Service, aims to emphasise to business the economic and social benefits of hiring ex-offenders.By employing this previously untapped skills pool, many industries can benefit from improved standards, they claim.According to […]
Firms Fail to Measure Recruiters’ Skills
Businesses are failing to accurately assess the skills base of their recruiters, according to new research.The study by Executive Online found that the skills of recruiters are vaguely and unscientifically assessed, despite the potentially significant impact upon the economy’s success.Almost half (46%) of organisations are using “rather arbitrary methods which completely fail to address the […]
Age Overrides Skills in UK Market
Leading a UK business is a “young man’s job”, according to the chief executive of National Express.Phil White will quit the company at the end of 2006 because he feels too old for the job, the Guardian reports.He said that such a role was only suitable for a young person, suggesting that age is more […]
The Brain Bath?! Becomes a Self Help Guru
Self-service, self-medicate, self-make – there’s no need for the middle man or ahem lady any more and self-help is no exception. According to training body, Effective Training and Development our bosses’ reliance on self-help is weakening leadership skills, resulting in a nation of weak managers to boot.Diane Ingham Cook of the training organisation said: “Leadership […]
Drivers Must Get Skills Up To Speed
Employers must address the driving skills of employers using company cars, the government has announced.The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (Pacts) is aiming to reduce road deaths by urging the employer to take responsibility over the training and competence of staff using vehicles during their working day.Pacts is also lobbying for automatic number plate […]
BA Staff Up-Skill to Avoid Strikes
British Airways (BA) is to equip staff with the necessary skills to manage services in the event of further strike action with its in-flight caterer.Seven hundred flights were grounded last summer when Gate Gourmet staff undertook unofficial strikes against the airline. BA plans to train its own staff to use the caterer’s loading trucks to […]
What Happened Next? Fresh Ways To Motivate Staff. By Sarah Fletcher
Finding activities to inspire unmotivated staff can prove difficult. In the next edition of this new series What happened next? we report on the results and lessons learned by a member who sought solace in the Any Answers forum. By Sarah Fletcher Motivating staff – anyone been to circus school?“I’m looking for ways to give […]
Managers Lack People Skills, Research Claims
Three quarters of companies think line managers are poor at managing employees, according to a survey by IRS Employment Review.Only one in four leaders quizzed said their line managers were good at managing employee absence, training staff or conducting performance appraisals. More than half also felt these managers were reluctant or apathetic to assume new […]
Employers Offer Flexible Benefits to Retain Skills
Employers are increasingly offering a wide selection of benefits to staff in an attempt to recruit and retain professionals with key skills, a study says.According to research firm Computer Economics, almost half (43%) of the 500 companies surveyed provided a flexible benefits package, compared to 30% in 2004.More than three quarters (77%) of organisations allowed […]