Partner Article

Regional employers leading the way for staff training

More workers in the North East are benefiting from employer-funded training than anywhere else in the country. 71 per cent of employers paid or arranged for members of their workforce to undergo training during the 12 months of 2005, according to latest statistics from Skills North East. The figures indicate a 10 per cent rise on 2004, and put North East England some five per cent ahead of its nearest rival, the East Midlands.

Liz Robson, Senior Skills and Economic Analyst at regional development agency One NorthEast, which is responsible for Skills NorthEast, said: “These figures are very encouraging and show our region’s employers do care about their employees. “We are all aware of the need to improve the skills of people in the North East, so the fact that employers are themselves arranging and funding employee training is really positive.

“This is not only good for staff morale but it makes business sense for them and puts the region in a stronger position to compete nationally and internationally. We’d therefore like to encourage more businesses to support their employees in this way. These latest statistics suggest we’re heading in the right direction. However, we know there is still more to be done to improve adult skills levels in the region, so we will continue to work with our partners to achieve this.”

Liz Smith, Assistant Regional Director, CBI North East said: “Skills are of critical importance to North East employers, our members recognise that upskilling their staff brings benefits not only for the individuals and the company but for the wider regional economy. For the North East to continue to grow and prosper we must continually invest in skills. This week our members are meeting to share best practice on upskilling their people and discussing what Government can do to support them.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .