Quality of training is influenced more by management attitude and organisation culture than by company size and budget, according to a report by the Broadcast Training and Skills Regulator (BTSR).

“One of the clear messages coming through is the important role that management and leadership play,” said BTSR chairman Stephen Whittle. “Those companies that scored highly across the board are those where there is interest in, recognition of, and input to the learning and development of staff at the very highest organisational levels.”

Following consultation with the industry, BTSR this year adopted a new approach in their annual assessment of training provision and skills development in the sector. Broadcasters undertook a self-evaluation exercise to map training and development activity and the effect it has had on the performance of their businesses.

“We wanted to look at impact rather than inputs, value rather than cost, output and effectiveness rather than crude numbers,” said Whittle. “We also put in place an independent validation process, carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to ensure the data collected was valid and consistent and to identify examples of good practice that can be shared across the industry.”

The assessment spanned seven key indicators, and found that a significant number of broadcasters reported medium and high levels of provision, with over 50 per cent declaring these levels in six out of the seven assessment categories.

Three-quarters – 78 per cent – had a dedicated training budget and the validation process.

PwC also visited 32 broadcasters to consider the evidence used by the companies to support their self-evaluation, and found that many were under- rather than overestimating their performance.

“The results are very encouraging but there is no room for complacency. Broadcasting is changing faster than ever and to meet this challenge and exploit the opportunities, the industry will need even better trained and skilled people,” said Whittle.

“Training will also be important as the industry moves forward from the current concerns about honesty and trust and another clear message that came through as we were compiling this report is the need for even greater commitment to understanding and ensuring compliance with editorial standards.”