Training not supporting business objectives
While a huge 86% of organisations have introduced coaching or mentoring programmes, nearly two thirds fail to directly support corporate objectives but focus instead on developing individual talents. To make matters worse, 15% of employers have put no measurements in place to assess the outcomes of their coaching and mentoring initiatives. These are the findings […]
Bosses confident growth is around the corner: podcast
Is growth in business or hiring just around the corner? A study of European business leaders has revealed nearly 40% are planning to invest in existing talent, while a quarter claim they will invest in training as this long awaited confidence makes a welcome return to the market with over half of all companies across […]
21st century training: get better value
Trimming skills budgets might seem like a regressive move, but it might be the catalyst needed to prepare staff training for the demands of the 21st century, says Jane Scott Paul, CEO, Association Accounting Technicians. The economic turbulence over the past few years has led to training budgets being trimmed across the board. Consequently there […]
A letter to L&D: HR is your BFF
Nigel Paine explains why trainers need to recognise HR as their best friend in order to achieve their aims in this letter to L&D. It is almost exactly five years since ‘Fast Company’ – the US-based business magazine – published its seminal article by Keith Hammonds, its deputy editor, called: ‘Why we hate HR.’ He […]
Over 2/3 of organisations fail to evaluate training
In order to boost the performance of their coaching initiatives, organisations need to introduce well-thought through programmes and evaluation processes that are aligned with business strategy. According to the ‘2010 Learning and Development’ survey undertaken by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), however, more than two thirds of organisations currently fail to evaluate […]
NHS needs funding to ‘even out’ training
Sufficient funding must be put in place if the NHS is to redress current imbalances in the number of specialist medical trainees working in different areas of England, according to the Royal College of Physicians. Dr Andrew Goddard, director of the Medical Workforce Unit at the Royal College broadly welcomed the findings of a new […]
Apprenticeships for ‘other people’s children’
Apprenticeships are widely considered second best to a university education and as something for “other people’s children”. On the day that A-levels are announced across the UK, it was revealed that just over half of parents still view studying at university as the most valuable career path for their child – despite the fact that […]
New learning centre for DHL Supply Chain
DHL Supply Chain has opened a learning centre in Leicestershire to provide its 200 staff with training ranging from basic skills to NVQs. The centre, located at Magna Park in Lutterworth, was developed in conjunction with the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, North Warwickshire and Hinckley College and training provider EQV. Chris Sharp, managing […]
Not much time for consultation on scrapping time off for training
Opinion appears to be divided over whether coalition government plans to scrap workers’ rights to request time off for training would be a positive move or not. Skills Minister John Hayes has launched an unusually short five-week consultation over the future of the legislation, which only came into force in April this year for employers […]
The HP Way: Sexual harrassment and the CEO
The fall from grace of a highly regarded CEO, sexual harassment accusations from a soft porn actress-turned reality TV contestant, some fiddled expenses and a breach of a 50 plus year old corporate ethical code: the events of the past week at Hewlett Packard, one of the founding fathers of Silicon Valley, reads more like […]
Millennial training methods
Who are these ‘millennials’ and how can they be motivated when it comes to training? David Chan gives some insight into the new kids on the block. The millennial generation is broadly defined as those individuals born after 1985, who have grown up with the web and mobile communications. The impact of technology is not […]
What’s the point of a training manager?
Judith Germain considers how training and HR can best work together – alone or in the same department? Function heads responsible for people are increasingly finding it necessary to justify their existence especially when companies are striving to achieve a substantial Return on Investment and generalists are looking like they will provide a better return. […]
Training success: Spot the signs
On our sister site, TrainingZone.co.uk, a member asked how best to measure success of a training session for the delegates themselves and was looking for tips on things to try, things to avoid. Here’s what the community said. Observe – don’t test Both Paul Kearns and ‘Nkellingley’ suggest setting baselines prior to training and then […]
No NMW ‘loophole’ for interns
Employers are breaking the law by taking on unpaid interns and the practice should be banned in the political arena in order to set an example, according to policy researchers. A report published by think-tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) and social enterprise organisation Internocracy revealed that too many employers, particularly in fields […]
L&D split over train to gain and apprenticeships
The skills industry is split over whether the coalition government’s plans to divert funding from a vocational training scheme in order to create extra apprenticeship places would be a positive move or not. According to a survey undertaken by the World of Learning Conference & Exhibition (WLCE) organisation in June, 50.9% of respondents do not […]
Working hours culture changed by recession
Working patterns have changed as a result of the recession, with staff moving to a “mixed hours” rather than a “long hours” culture and older workers changing career in order to stay in employment. According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the loss of nearly one million full-time jobs and a […]
Align training with business objectives
Kick-starting our training and HR focus for August, Donald Taylor reflects on the changes in training affecting L&D – does training need to get more professional? For a long time – possibly for too long – training was something that took place in the background of daily operations. It was something organisations felt […]
UK workers have lower ROI
Despite being subject to some of the least strict labour laws in Europe, UK workers generate a lower return on investment for their employers than those in either Western European or the US. These are the findings of a study undertaken among 10,000 companies in 40 countries by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The report indicated that so-called […]
Vocational experience valued more higly than academic qualifications
Three out of five employers value vocational qualifications and work experience more highly than graduate status because they believe that personnel with a less academic background are more equipped to contribute to the business from day one. Just over two fifths of bosses that do not currently employ staff with vocational qualifications also said that […]
Dragon advocates softer management approach
Alan Sugar’s famous style of leadership is in the firing line of recent research which claims the economic downturn has had a dramatic effect on how bosses manage their staff. The research found that people respond far better to a more ‘touchy-feely’, empathetic manager at the helm of their company rather than an intimidating, authoritarian […]
