Basic skills training should be a priority

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) have launched a report that explores ways in which organisations can help solve current recruitment difficulties by getting the best out of their existing staff.

The report recommends that employers need to look more seriously at the increasing skill demands made of workers who are not highly qualified, but whose contribution is nonetheless crucial to workplace success.

The report, Basic Skills in the Workplace -Opening Doors to Learning, demonstrates that successful companies need higher levels of 'basic skills' in their whole workforce than ever before.

It examines how participating in basic skills training in basic maths, reading and writing, can reap benefits for employers.

It argues that organisations should provide more training support to lower-skilled workers given that they receive less training than their senior colleagues.

The report also features a number of case studies including the Victoria and Albert Museum and TNT UK Ltd. It shows how these organisations have achieved real performance improvements through investing in basic skills training and identifying relevant training strategies.

Victoria Gill, CIPD Adviser on training and development comments, "As the UK economy continues to enjoy a period of near full employment, the need to invest heavily in promoting learning remains as important as ever. But while there is undoubted evidence that UK organisations have the will and commitment to invest in training, it is also clear that this needs to be targeted more widely and wisely. We hope that this report can go some way towards helping organisations examine the relevance of basic skills training to their organisations. "

Members of the Work Place Learning Centre team are available to provide journalists and media organisations with expert comment on all aspects of learning at work.

View our editorial policy click here.