Kevin Rowan column

Jun 26 2006 By Kevin Rowan, The Journal

Lastweek I was part of an audience, mostly of employers, at a conference to mark the progress the region is making in tackling our skills challenges.

Organised by the Regional Skills Partnership, the gathering heard case studies from five employers, ranging in size and sector, about their approach to skills and development. All were exemplary in their approach to training and developing their staff.

One characteristic they had in common was that their approach to training meant training all staff. Often it's the case that when employers claim to be `training organisations', this actually means there is a training budget dedicated to providing the minimum statutory training required and some `management away-days' - usually involving golf!

But, increasingly, employers recognise that to be successful they must invest in the whole workforce. The examples at the conference all reported how investments they made paid massive dividends for business. All talked of increased productivity, all agreed it was a significant factor in attracting staff, and all were clear that having a comprehensive training programme contributed directly to dramatically improving staff retention.

In a tightening labour market it is apparent that businesses that will do well are the ones that take workforce development seriously, that consider enabling all the workforce to improve skills as a key aspect of success.

The case studies at the conference were excellent, but they are still exemplars rather than the norm. We have too many people in work without recognised, accredited skills, too many people with skills needs and too many people outside of the labour market. If we are to meet these challenges we need all employers to contribute to improving skills, particularly for those people on the fringes of the labour market.

Emphasis is placed on enabling the economically inactive to get into or back into work. Considerable public sector investment is put into equipping individuals with skills and confidence to try new jobs. But if they then enter a workplace which doesn't give them the opportunity to continue that development, then the evidence shows they are more likely to leave the labour market again.

When asked about this, the Skills Minister, Phil Hope, said there would be hard targets for the `Train to Gain' brokers to reach those employers who currently don't invest in training.

That's encouraging and I hope this does make a difference, but while there remain employers who don't invest in training all their workforce, we'll continue to fail to make the best of the people we have in our region.