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Learning while working
40 Success stories on workplace learning in Europe

an example, the experience of the UK demonstrates that training investment
dropped significantly in sectors where compulsory levies were removed in
the late 1980 and early 1990s (Eurofound and Cedefop, 2009, p. 177).
Training vouchers encourage participation in learning and may require
varying joint funding by learners. Financial incentives are also a powerful
motivating tool for workers to resume their education and training, where
they allow individuals to lead their career development and learning and
to choose their training. Further training in some countries, while being
voluntarily chosen by the employee, must be relevant to actual employment
and fulfil certain quality standards. Joint funding mechanisms, such as
training vouchers, seem to contribute to increased quality, relevance and
diversity of training provision, where they cover the costs of training delivered
by recognised training providers. A wide range of learning providers is
essential to offer flexible training, suited to the needs of both employers
and employees, while encouraging learner choice within accredited quality
standards. Financial incentives are helping create an education and training
market, which can lead to greater innovation and flexibility among providers
and hence more customer-focused provision for sectors, companies and
individuals (Cedefop, 2007a; 2009b). Not all the incentives are of a financial
nature: some forms of training leave encourage employees to participate in
education and continuing training in areas not necessarily related to their
current job. Whatever the situation, employees need guidance in identifying
their learning needs and in finding suitable training.
However, whether they target enterprises or learners, financial incentives
by themselves are not sufficient to widen access to learning opportunities.
They need to be combined with a range of other instruments that stimulate
continuing training, such as support services providing advice to enterprises
and guidance initiatives for employees, since funding is no more than one
of the factors that determine adult participation in learning (Cedefop, 2004b;
2009d, p. 63; Keogh, 2009). Skill brokers and training advisers with specific
knowledge of sectors are effective in reaching reluctant employers who
have not trained their workforce in the past twelve months or more; they
contact enterprises directly and assist them to assess their training needs,
find adequate training providers and access funding (Cedefop, 2010f).
Other factors that may hamper participation in further education and training
are workload, family obligations, lack of motivation or low self-esteem,
current human resources policies, the scarcity of appropriate learning
opportunities, or difficulties in gaining access to information and guidance.
Financial incentives do not instantaneously lead to wider involvement