Back to school for small-business employees

Citation

(1999), "Back to school for small-business employees", Education + Training, Vol. 41 No. 9. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.1999.00441iab.008

Back to school for small-business employees

Keywords SMEs, Training, High technology

Colleges are geared up to offer direct training to improve the skills of employees in small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). More than 87 per cent of further-education colleges in England and Wales provide direct training to SMEs, according to new Further Education Development Agency (FEDA) research. The survey shows that:

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  89.5 per cent of colleges run training courses on SME employers' premises;

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  90.5 per cent of colleges train SME staff on college premises; and

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  69 per cent of colleges offer distance training for SME staff.

The research shows that most colleges offer courses that could be used by any SME. Traditional part-time and day-release courses continue to be run in colleges, while national vocational qualifications and modernapprenticeships are run on employers' premises. Distance learning to train employees is increasingly popular among SMEs. Colleges provide small firms with training packages for staff to work through at their own pace. More than half of colleges surveyed (61.9 per cent) use high-technology methods of training. The Internet and e-mail are the most common tools used, but CD-ROM and other technologies are being used increasingly. Chris Hughes, FEDA chief executive, said: "A highly-skilled workforce is the key to improving the economic competitiveness of the UK. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and need to be encouraged to take staff skills training seriously. This survey shows that further-education colleges should be the training centres of choice for SME employees. Colleges are geared up to provide flexible and accessible courses that can fit round day-to-day business demands".