6 Workplace training and development

6.1 Introduction This chapter addresses the supply side approaches towards skills utilisation at organisational and/or establishment levels. Focusing on classroom-based training and formalised development plans for employees, in this chapter we will examine:

o the patterns of workplace training and development by establishment characteristics, including industry sector, establishment size, and establishment type; o how workforce training and development relates with job skills demand and employees’ performance. These analyses will provide us with an understanding of how these training and development activities organised at organisational and/or establishment levels relate with their demand for and utilisation of skills.

6.2 Classroom-based training In the survey, the respondents were asked to indicate the percentage of staff that attended some form of classroom-based training in the last 12 months. Figure 26 shows the response distribution.

Of all establishments surveyed, 27.1 percent indicated that none of their staff attended some form of classroom-based training in the last 12 months. Another 32.7 percent indicated that only less than 25 percent of their staff attended such training. A further 14.8 percent indicated that between 25 and 49 percent of their staff attended such training, while 25.4 percent indicated that more than 50 percent of their staff attended such training. Across the whole sample, the mean percentage of staff (unweighted) that attended classroom-based training was 29.5 percent.