Page 30 - Learning-while-working-Success-stories-on-workplace-learning-in-Europe

Learning while working
24 Success stories on workplace learning in Europe

The third survey for continuing vocational training had already provided
valuable information on training policies, processes and infrastructures in
enterprises. The survey covered key components of training agendas in
enterprises (e.g. training plan, specific budget, assessment of skill needs),
organisation (e.g. the existence of a training department or team, collective
agreements covering training issues) and quality approaches (e.g. evaluation
of training provided). In-company trainers were not explicitly considered in the
survey among the indicators that proved how formalised or professionalised
training is in enterprises, and how developed their training practices and
infrastructures are. Full-time trainers and training consultants are playing a
valuable role in enterprises with more than 250 staff members, which tend
to have stronger training infrastructures, formalised training arrangements
and quality mechanisms for the training they provide. Among larger
enterprises providing training, 73% have training units or have allocated
training responsibilities to a staff member, 70% have established training
plans, and 69% have a training budget (Cedefop, 2010b, p. 32-40). While
large enterprises are more used to establishing human resources units and
training policies, small and medium-sized enterprises have limited capacity to
develop the key features of a training strategy. This calls for public authorities
and sectoral organisations to develop services to assist a broad range of
enterprises in assessing training needs, elaborating training plans, choosing
relevant training providers and evaluating the outcomes of training.
Whatever the size, enterprises provide two main reasons for not training
their staff: either the skills and competences of employees match current
needs (EU-27, 74% of enterprises that did not provide training) or gaps
in competences are filled through recruitment policies (EU-27, for 53% of
enterprises that did not provide training). Size is a factor in training behaviour,
since small enterprises are more likely to assert that their staff is proficient in
their job and there is no need for training; larger enterprises are less inclined
to do so. Therefore, barriers to training, eventually linked to work organisation,
lack of relevant training offers or limited capacity to assess training needs do
not feature among the main deterrents for organising training. While costs
seem to be an obstacle for a third of large enterprises (250 or more staff),
staff workload and limited time available impede training provision in a third
of enterprises, independently of their size (Cedefop, 2010b).
There are also other real or perceived barriers to training, such as fear
of poaching from other companies, lack of information about available
training and incentives, and difficulties in allowing time for training. However,
the findings of CVTS3 suggest that as enterprises become aware of their