Nearly two-thirds of UK employees are satisfied with training received in their present job, the highest number for five years, according to a new study.

Research consultancy ORC International found that 62% of employees said they were satisfied with the training they receive compared to 53% in 1999.

In terms of sector comparisons, the report found that employees working in the retail sector were happiest with the training they received with 70% saying they were satisfied.

In contrast, only 47% of employees in the hi-tech sector were satisfied with the training they received.

The findings are contained within “Putting it in Perspective”, an annual report produced by ORC International, which reviews trends in UK employee opinion over time and by industry.

The report is based on data derived from ORC Perspectives, one of the UK’s largest employee survey benchmarking database represents the opinions of 1.4 million employees.

Commenting on the findings, Simon Pridgeon, marketing manager at Reed Training said: “Training is now seen as a benefit and as an essential part of a reward package, rather than as a punishment or a remedial action for poor performance. This inevitably means that individuals are happier to attend courses because they no longer have a negative perception of training.

"I also think that satisfaction has increased because of the rising standards of both training materials and the trainers delivering them,” he added.