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Employers reduced investment in staff development during downturn

MORE THAN a million training places were lost as employers cut back during the recession, according to a survey of 80,000 businesses.

The National Employer Skills Survey found that the number of workers receiving training in their job has tumbled dramatically, with a drop of 1.2 million to 12.8 million since 2007.

The fall, which relates to training activity in 2009, is almost as large as the decline when Government funding shifted away from short adult education courses to full qualifications through Train to Gain. At that time an estimated 1.5 million places were lost over three years.

The study also shows that employers are more likely to recruit 17 and 18-year-olds from school or college (11 per cent) than 16-year-olds straight from school (6 per cent)

Businesses in the South East of England are said to be the most positive about teenagers’ work readiness, while those in the North East have the most negative views.

Chris Humphries, chief executive of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, which commissioned the survey, said: “This is a major, wide- ranging survey and one of the most robust of its type.

“It provides a valuable insight into the unique challenges faced by employers during the height of the recession.”

He insisted the messages “were not all bad”, pointing to employers’ positive reports on the readiness for work of students leaving school, FE or university.

Two-thirds who recruited 16-year-olds believed they were well prepared, and three-quarters said the same of 17 and 18-year-olds.

The decline in employer investment in training comes as publicly funded FE providers are increasingly expected to seek more money in fees from employers to compensate for lower public funding rates.

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