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Are You Aware of Free Training Opportunities?
 You
probably know how useful training can be at
improving the skills and effectiveness of
your employees; but you probably also know
that the costs are usually high. However,
both you and your staff may be able to
benefit from training in the Further
Education sector.
Nearly two-thirds of small businesses
lose-out on increased productivity and
profitability by ignoring free or low cost
training according to new research from the
Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
The research, which examined the training
policies of more than 450 small businesses,
found:
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57 per cent of small business do not use
the further education (FE) sector to
train their employees although it offers
a wide range of free courses
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43 per cent of companies are not aware
they could secure free employee training
at their local FE colleges
It showed that thousands of small companies
are missing out on the business benefits of
FE training as those that used it reported a
wide range of positive impacts:
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87 per cent of small businesses said
using an FE college to train its
employees had benefited the company
-
45 per cent of companies claimed it had
increased productivity
-
11 per cent claimed it had directly
increased turnover
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58 per cent said it had boosted employee
motivation and job satisfaction
-
47 per cent believed it had helped employee
retention
The research, which was carried out by
YouGov and covered large and small companies
from a number of sectors, revealed that many
businesses have a narrow perception of the
FE sector and lack a clear understanding of
the vast range of vocational courses and
qualifications available at FE colleges.
Bill Rammell, Higher and Further Education
Minister said: “The findings clearly
highlight the competitive benefits to
employers of using Further Education
training. Since 1997, FE funding has
increased by £2.5 billion, a rise of 48
percent in real terms. The challenge for FE
providers is to engage with business so they
make best use of this, and be aware of the
choice, value, and relevance of training on
offer. Providers must adapt to meet the
needs of employers.”
For more information visit the Learning and
Skills Council website here.
Find out more about Training and Learning
Online with our free article here.
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