Staff training moves up the corporate agenda

CIPD survey finds more employees are receiving training than a year ago

20 March 2008 17:23

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UK employers are increasingly offering training to staff in order boost staff performance, research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has found.

The CIPD findings show that almost 75% of organizations use coaching within their organizations, compared to 63% a year ago.

But the purpose of offering training to employees varies according to whom it’s offered. Within organizations that offer training to all their employees, general personal development (79%) and helping poor performance (74%) are cited as common goals. However, among organisations where training is only offered to managers this points to a wider management and leadership development programme.

The CIPD survey found more than two fifths of organisations now offer coaching to employees, 39% offer it to directors and senior management and a third offer it to senior managers and supervisors.

The effectiveness of such training is questionable however as only 8% of respondent organisations evaluate the effectiveness of training through formal appraisals. Two in five respondents feel that the effectiveness of any coaching given is adequately gauged by line managers.

As a result, Dr McGurk, CIPD Learning training and development adviser, had a word of warning for businesses: “Unless coaching is managed and designed effectively, the results may not measure up to expectations.”