Page 29 - Learning-while-working-Success-stories-on-workplace-learning-in-Europe

To train or not to train? 23

2.2. To train or not to train:
the company perspective

The proportion of enterprises providing some kind of training is a key indicator
of the contribution of the workplace to lifelong learning. According to the
Eurostat third continuing vocational training survey (CVTS3), in 2005, the
countries with the highest share of enterprises providing continuing training
were Denmark (85%), Austria (81%), Sweden (78%), Finland (77%), the
Netherlands (75%) and France (74%). A North-South divide in terms of
enterprise commitment to training is confirmed, with Greece (21%), Bulgaria
(29%), Italy (32%), Poland (35%), Latvia (36%), Romania (40%) and Portugal
(44%) among the lower performers (Cedefop, 2010b). Although the share of
enterprises providing training was in general lower in Eastern Europe, in 2005,
in some of the newer Member States, as a response to positive trends in the
economy, companies had started to shape human resources strategies, slowly
acknowledging training as an important business development factor, partly
influenced by training models of transnational companies in the countries
(Unesco, 2008). This trend was further encouraged by national policies which
promoted training activities and stipulated mandatory training in specific
areas, such as health and safety.
Patterns of enterprise investment in continuing training differ greatly across
Europe, sectors and enterprise size. Overall, in 2005, in most northwest and
south European countries, enterprises invested less in training, as a share
of total labour cost and per employee, than five years before (Cedefop,
2010b, p. 92-96; p. 99-100; p. 103). In Western and Northern Europe, lower
expenditure in training, together with a deterioration of training indicators,
such as participation by employees and intensity of the training provided in
terms of hours, calls for action at policy and sector levels. By not investing
adequately in training we may miss a gate to the economic recovery. More
recent research findings give a less pessimistic picture of employer investment
in training. According to the first results of the 5th European working conditions
survey, in 2010, training funded by employers reached its highest level in the
last 15 years, with 34% of employees participating in training within the 12
months prior to the survey (Eurofound, 2010). The negative trend observed
between 2000 and 2005 was reversed, with an increase in on-the-job training
from 24% in 2005 to 30% in 2010.