‘a bigger bang for our buck’. Despite their different circumstances, our interviewees had developed broadly similar strategies to meet these challenges. They were shifting the emphasis towards a package of measures that one respondent called ‘training smarter’. This comprised a sharper focus on business needs, increased use of in-house provision, incorporation of trainer functions within the roles of regular staff, renegotiation of relationships with external trainers, expansion of on-site and group training, and enhanced use of e-learning. Although each of these is not new, the recession had triggered a shift towards their greater use (see Box 2).
Box 2: Training Smarter
‘What we have been able to do is to focus that pool of money, so that we get more bang for our buck, really … We’re trying to work a lot smarter that we have in the past.’ Industrial packaging company
‘We’re trying still to get the training done but we’re just trying to get it done in a different way, a cost-effective way.’ Fabrication kit manufacturer
In conclusion, economic crises do not nec- essarily kill off training. We should be particularly cautious of predictions derived from balance indices of training intentions. Actions speak louder than words, including the actions of those who do nothing. A minority of employers seriously cut back on training in response to the recent downturn. The training of young adults, such as apprentices, also took a severe blow. But national data suggest that a large majority of employers did not slash training during the recession. Nevertheless, our interviews suggest that employers maintained ‘must have’ training by shifting towards a more in-house mode of delivery that is less dependent on external trainers and more cost effective.
Alan Felstead is a Research Professor at Cardiff University, Nick Jewson is Senior Research Fellow at Cardiff University, and Francis Green is Professor of Labour Economics and Skills Development at the Institute of Education, University of London.
Their paper, ‘The impact of the 2008-9 recession on the extent, form and patterns of training at work’ (2011), LLAKES Research Paper 22, is available in full at:
www.llakes.org. The project is funded by the ESRC/ UKCES Strategic Partnership.
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