News: Telephone and Writing Skills
Study: Minorities in IIP firms missing out on training
24 January 2008
A new study by the Nottingham University Business School has found that minority groups are losing out on training in workplaces that have Investors in People (IIP) training awards.
A wider range of minority groups, including women, ethnic minorities, temp workers, disabled employees, and older workers, were found to be at a disadvantage regarding training provision in places with IIP awards than elsewhere.
Professor Kim Hoque, the research's author, said that IIP requires organisations to gear their training provision to business needs, which "often means developmental opportunities come to be targeted on a cadre of core value-creating professionals and managers, rather than the workforce as a whole".
It could be that training such as telephone and writing skills training for junior employees is often being neglected, for example.
Nevertheless, IIP does require companies to uphold equal opportunity principles, and Professor Hoque questions why these organisations are able to secure recognition if they don't do this.
