News: Performance Management
Keep training budgets topped up, say leadership development specialists
01 July 2008
The budgets allocated by British bosses to the training and development of staff should not be cut in the face of economic uncertainty, it has been suggested.
In a new poll of 120 training managers in the public and private sectors, as well as professionals employed by not-for-profit organisations, 44 per cent said they expect cuts to be made in the next 12 months.
Leadership development specialists at Common Purpose, which carried out the survey, acknowledged that reducing the provision of training and staff development is "a quick and easy economy to make".
"As economic storm clouds gather, many organisations cut their learning and development budgets in a misinformed attempt to see them through the tough times," remarked chief executive Julia Middleton.
"This policy sends a pretty clear message to the people whose talent is the most highly valued that the organisation's commitment to their learning and development is short-term and wafer thin," she added.
Over half (53 per cent) of respondents to Common Purpose's poll thought non-skill specific training would be the first casualty of budget cuts, a third suggested "soft skills" would primarily be affected and 32 per cent put forward "team building".
Technical skills training and leadership development were considered least likely to be affected by cuts. 
