| Research by MORI for
KnowledgePool has suggested that 44% of workers had not receive any training in
the last year. Only a third of workers said that their employers had delivered
the training they promised.
However, workers themselves assigned great importance
to training. Almost a quarter said that training opportunities were the principal
consideration when applying for a new job and overall, it was the second most
important consideration after basic salary.
Almost one in five British workers think advanced
IT skills will earn them more money, although this view was less common in the
North.
The research showed that the average number of
training days for workers was just 5.9, compared to the 7.1 days workers spend
ill in bed. With the training deficit meaning that workers spend more time off
sick than in training, it is perhaps not surprising that a quarter of workers
admitted to lacking the skills required to do their jobs properly, ay least some
of the time. Even one in ten managers confessed to lacking these skills regularly,
a similar proportion to clerical and administrative workers. Two fifths of British
workers believed their colleagues lack the requisite skills to do their jobs.
The research shows that British workers want to
learn. Almost one third (31%) also believed that they would do their jobs better
with more training and almost everyone felt that they are good at picking up new
skills. 44% also said that trained in order to enjoy their jobs more.
Personal, management and development skills, were
the most useful to workers in their jobs. Over three quarters (76%) cited communication
skills as most useful to them, with 65% naming team working and self motivation.
In comparison, only 38% mentioned basic IT, and only one in five, advanced IT.
Workers also believed that employers valued soft skills most highly, with 44%
stating that communication was the most valued skills. However, if workers could
only mention one skill when applying for a job, the highest proportion, 26% would
choose self motivation.
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Conversely, British
workers believed the skill most overrated by employers was a degree, over a third
thought this, with the figure rising as workers get older. Academic A-Levels were
also seen as overrated by a quarter of workers, while only 9% said the same of
vocational A-Levels.
The research also found a marked difference between
male and female attitudes to training and skills. Working men were twice as likely
to lie or exaggerate about skills than women. Twice as many men also believed
that they have more useful skills than their boss. Men were also far happier learning
news skills on the job than women with 40% citing it as their favourite method
compared with just 29% of women.
Government statistics are even more depressing
than the above. the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) annual survey
found the average worker received just 2.3 days training in 2001. DfES report
that companies employing less than 25 workers less than half had provided off-the-job
training for any employees during 2001.
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Article supplied by Sig
Biz Advisors
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