If the Board has been less than generous or you have simply resolved to get more for your money in 2006, these tips from Amanda Pearce-Burton, Managing Director of Formation Training and Development Ltd, will help you make the most of your training budget.

1. Do a thorough staff skills audit and cross reference skill gaps to see whether required skills already exist in-house.

2. Have a skills sharing session at staff/team meetings so people can 'report' back on training, development and other things they've learned.

3. Start workplace coaching /mentoring pairings.

4. Consider work shadowing where more junior members of staff have defined opportunities to see more senior colleagues working.

5. Introduce volunteering for staff where they have a bank of hours which they can use to volunteer locally to learn leadership, organisational and communication skills that can be transferred to the work place.

6. Use other budgets imaginatively asking suppliers to offer skills or sponsorship of training.

7. Consider the purchase of books, periodicals and magazines as part of staff development.

8. Join your local Business Link, Chamber of Commerce etc to benefit from reduced cost training and other business support opportunities.

9. Attend networking events which often have integral taster training workshops.

10. Reference all of the above to staff individual learning and development plans and organisational training plan to ensure the skills gained/opportunities are relevant and cost effective, and are working to achieve personal and business objectives.