Employer Training Spend Hits Record High at £38BN

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has this month published the results of the National Employer Skills Survey 2007 (NESS07) conducted by IFF, revealing that companies have spent an all time high of £38.6 billion on training, up 16 per cent from 2005.

The research shows that the proportion of vacancies that can't be filled due to a skills shortage has dropped from 25 per cent in 2005, to 21 per cent in 2007 and affects 5 per cent of employers.

Over 79,000 employers to provide LSC with the most comprehensive analysis of skills in England, revealing a nation more committed to training than ever before. Last year, over two thirds (67 per cent) of the country's businesses spent a combined total of 218 million days training their workforces. The average money spent per employee on training increased by 11 per cent from £1,550 in 2005 to £1,750 in 2007.

At the same time there has been a rise in take-up of the Government's flagship service, Train to Gain. Train to Gain has already helped more than 78,000 employers. Evaluation of the service, surveying almost 4,000 employers involved with Train to Gain, has found that 80 per cent of employers and 77 per cent of employees have been satisfied with the advice and training received.

To access the full reports, follow this link:
http://www.lsc.gov.uk/NR/exeres/FE469222-1657-4046-83A9-B4D888B4787E.htm

For more information on NESS: Mark Winterbotham, Director
For more information on Train to Gain: David Vivian, Director