Firms focus on in-house training: Report

Skills and labour shortages are causing employers to invest more money on in-house training, researchers said today.

Figures showed the vast majority of employers (87%) would prefer to develop skills in-house.

Meanwhile, 77% say they will be increasing the amount of training they offer staff to meet skill gaps, according to research from the Recruitment Confidence Index (RCI).

The survey attracted responses from 1,352 public and private sector employers from across Ireland and the UK.

Commenting on the findings, Professor Shaun Tyson from Cranfield School of Management, which carries out the RCI research for the Daily Telegraph, said: “The research implies that employers see themselves investing more in individual employees’ development.

“In a way, this is a reaction not just to changing skill needs but also to labour shortages. The ageing population, which means employers can no longer rely on a ready pool of young recruits, is compounding the problem. Employers should respond by looking at how they retrain workers, regardless of age, on a continuous basis.”

However, 66% accept that they will have to recruit new skills, suggesting they cannot rely on training and development alone.

Researchers found that 70% include skills training in job offers to prospective employees.