Use it or Lose it – the sad truth about training budgets

Employees inevitably account for the biggest chunk of many organisations’ budgets. They are also any organisation’s greatest asset.

The benefits of offering staff training and creating an environment which encourages self-development are well documented: better skilled employees have better morale, and people valued and cared for are more productive, more committed, and are more likely to stay.

Yet training budgets, and the “use it or lose it” attitude often applied to them, remain a soft target. Only the most naive employer will fail to recognise the importance of having a well trained workforce, but the return on investment is rarely seen in the short-term. When immediate savings are what you’re looking for, it is difficult to defend the associated expense.

There is some good news on the cost of training, for eligible organisations Skills Development Scotland will subsidise training for up to 10 employees up to £500 each. There are strings attached in that SDS will subsidise up to half the costs of each course attended, until the employees allocation of £500 has been reached.

The kind of people who are going to take advantage of this training are surely those exact same ones you want to keep: the ambitious, the self-starters, the organised and in-tune, the people who know the value they can add to you, their employer, by being better trained, better skilled.

A business is only as good as its employees. Hiring the best people you can is just the start of it. Especially in an industry which moves as quickly and as dramatically as technology, ensuring your people stay up to date, engaged and motivated is the only way your business will do the same.

Employees inevitably account for the biggest chunk of many organisations’ budgets. They are also any organisation’s greatest asset.

The benefits of offering staff training and creating an environment which encourages self-development are well documented: better skilled employees have better morale, and people valued and cared for are more productive, more committed, and are more likely to stay.

Yet training budgets, and the “use it or lose it” attitude often applied to them, remain a soft target. Only the most naive employer will fail to recognise the importance of having a well trained workforce, but the return on investment is rarely seen in the short-term. When immediate savings are what you’re looking for, it is difficult to defend the associated expense.

There is some good news on the cost of training, for eligible organisations Skills Development Scotland will subsidise training for up to 10 employees up to £500 each. There are strings attached in that SDS will subsidise up to half the costs of each course attended, until the employees allocation of £500 has been reached.

The kind of people who are going to take advantage of this training are surely those exact same ones you want to keep: the ambitious, the self-starters, the organised and in-tune, the people who know the value they can add to you, their employer, by being better trained, better skilled.

A business is only as good as its employees. Hiring the best people you can is just the start of it. Especially in an industry which moves as quickly and as dramatically as technology, ensuring your people stay up to date, engaged and motivated is the only way your business will do the same.

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