Institute for Work Based Learning(Middlesex University)

UK CORPORATES TOP FOR TRAINING PRACTICES

iwbl — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:03:42 +0000

Corporate UK is leading the way in training practices, according to a comprehensive pan-European survey, published by Cegos Group. The survey found that UK organisations are training more staff and have embraced innovative practices, including e-learning, blended learning and mobile learning, to a greater extent than their European counterparts. The independent survey examined training practice trends during 2007, and was carried among training managers from 1,000 companies employing more than 500 staff, across the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Key highlights include:

UK companies are leading the way in providing training to 61% of their employees compared to less than half of employees in Italy, France and Germany.
UK employees benefit from technology-driven training programmes. The UK is the European leader in 100% e-learning and blended learning (mixing face-to-face learning with e-learning). Spain is just behind the UK in terms of e-learning and blended learning techniques with 51% of Spanish companies adopting e-leaning and blended learning.
While the UK is training more people than any other country, it is running shorter programmes and spending less on professional development than its European counterparts. The survey found the average European corporate spends Euros 580,000 on professional development. The UK and Spain both spend around 40% less than the average European budget, reflecting in part their greater use of blended learning and e-learning.
UK corporations are more focused on providing direct feedback to the balance sheet in the effectiveness of training than their European counterparts. Almost half (47%) of UK companies measure ROI and 65% have measures in place to assess the impact of training on their people. The UK is 20% better than any other surveyed country in measuring ROI with France second, where 26% of companies measure ROI.

Jeremy Blain, joint managing director of Cegos’ UK operations, said: “Technology is playing a crucial role in driving down the cost of training, speeding up learning and making training more accessible to a wider audience. This trend will continue to be driven by today’s time-pressured workplace and current economic conditions as companies strive to get more for less.”

The UK carries out more training in-house than any other country surveyed. Among UK organisations, 55% of training is carried out internally by the company itself; 24% is carried out in-house with support from a third-party supplier; and only about 20% is conducted off-site by external providers. In terms of duration of training programmes, the survey revealed that UK companies prefer shorter training courses – 42% of sessions are one day long or less.

While companies still rely heavily on traditional methods to train their workforce, more and more are increasingly turning to the Internet as a delivery channel. Face-to-face learning is the number one method used by more than 90% of organisations across Europe. Coaching is particularly popular in the UK and Germany with 86% and 74% of companies respectively using the method compared to less than half of companies in France, Italy and Spain. The UK and Spain are the prime adopters of e-learning (55% of UK companies use e-learning and 51% of Spanish companies) and blended learning (51% of both UK and Spanish companies use blended learning). The UK also provides more on the job training and one-to-one training than any other country.

All countries surveyed are focusing their training budgets on the same core areas. In order of investment, these are professional development, QSE (Quality, Safety and Environment), IT, and management, with 75% of organisations investing in these areas. The figures show the growing importance of CPD (Continuing Professional Development) and the impact that new legislation and IT systems are making on the training function.

‘Embedding Workplace Learning into Organisational Culture’ Seminar

iwbl — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:16:10 +0000

Thursday 26^th November 10am – 11.30 seminar (9.45 arrival for refreshments) Claddagh Ring, ground floor (0 Church Rd, London, NW4 4EA).

‘Embedding Workplace Learning into Organisational Culture’

Charles Jennings, Director Duntroon Associates

The talk will involve issues of embedding workplace learning into organisational culture, how this fits with university level work based learning and some of the challenges and opportunities for linkage. Many organisations are just opening up to approaches such as 70:20:10 (where 70% of learning is experiential) which creates opportunities for work based learning development at al levels – including higher cognitive thinking and innovation.

At 11.30 -12.30 there will be a further opportunity to stay and discuss ideas that have been raised

Charles Jennings is the Director of Duntroon Associates, a UK-based Human Capital and L&D consultancy company. From 2002 until the end of 2008 he was the Chief Learning Officer for Reuters and Thomson Reuters where he had responsibility for developing learning and performance strategy and leading the learning organization for the firm’s 55,000 workforce. He is a leading thinker and practitioner in human capital development, change management, performance improvement and learning.

Charles has deep experience in both the business and learning practitioner sides of planning and implementing world-class performance solutions for organizations. He also has wider experience of ‘what works’ in the world of strategic talent, human capital development and effective performance and productivity approaches.

His career includes roles as head of the UK national centre for the development of networked learning , as a Professor in Southampton Business School, in senior business roles for global companies, and as an evaluator for the European Commission’s learning, performance and eCommerce research initiatives. He also sits on steering groups and advisory boards for national and international training and learning bodies.

Charles has an impeccable record of developing and implementing leading-edge performance solutions spanning more than 25 years. In 2008 he was honoured with the UK World of Learning ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Learning Industry’ award in recognition of his work on performance improvement, and ‘just-in-time’ and informal learning.

In 2006 Charles was one of six experts invited to be members of the UK Department of Trade & Industry’s Global Watch delegation to the USA on the “Beyond eLearning” mission.

http://www.duntroon.com/index.html

IWBL November events!

iwbl — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:59:10 +0000

9th & 10th November 2009
International Professional Doctorates Conference
Days: Monday 9th & Tuesday 10th
Venue: Cavendish Conference Centre, London

11th November 2009
WBL Open Evening
Outline: Join us to learn more about WBL and how it can benefit you.
Day: Wednesday
Date: 11th November 2009
Time: 17.30-19.00, formal WBL Presentation at 18.00
Venue: Hendon IWBL
Cost: Free

Wednesday 26th November 2009
In Pursuit of Growth
Outline: This practical, interactive 1-day workshop is specifically designed for leaders of small and medium-sized businesses. Explore new ideas, identify new opportunities.
Time: 09.30-1630
Venue: Central London

iwbl — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:45:36 +0000

Work Based Learning and construction management
Read a detailed case study of one successful manager’s experience of Work Based Learning at Middlesex University.

Businesses are being encouraged to treat flexible working as a means to boost motivation and productivity during the recession. Companies urged to consider flexible working.

The challenge for the future is to create an environment where “clever” people can flourish. Read more here about how to lead your smartest & most creative people.

Staying in talent management, David Benson Head of talent and resourcing of Oxfam GB faced the challenge in understanding how talent management would fit with an organisation working in more than 60 countries.

New research launched today by HR, payroll and talent management solutions provider, MidlandHR, has found that almost half (47%) of today’s public sector business leaders do not understand how to engage their employees.

Many HR and talent management leaders are being asked to handle reductions in force and to help choose who stays and who goes – perhaps for the first time in their careers. And while some organisations intend to take advantage of the bounty of talent that is now in the market, most will struggle with the challenges of selective hiring while letting others go.

News – October

iwbl — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:13:42 +0000

Starting this week with the Impact of recession on learning and development.

The recession has had a negative impact on learning and development for more than half of employers, according to a survey by Personnel Today‘s paid-for sister service XpertHR.

The poll of 78 employers – covering a combined workforce of more than 950,000 staff – found that the downturn had adversely affected the learning and development strategy of 59% of the organisations surveyed. Read the whole article here.

HR must ditch traditional training for informal leaning, said experts at the World of Learning Conference and Exhibition (WOLCE). Informal learning – where staff share their own learning through online discussion boards, video-postings, and instant messaging – is the future, said Peter Butler, director of learning at BT. Read the relevant article: Business must wake up to the power of informal learning

Also a video presentation in How to Manage Clever People. Brainy employees are a mixed blessing. They dislike authority, flout the rules and are convinced they are smarter than you. But they also create a disproportionate amount of value for your business. So learn how to be a ‘benevolent guardian’, says Rob Goffee, co-author of “Clever”. Here, he explains how — and which companies you can learn from.

Networking Evening featuring So & So Circus – 07/10/09

iwbl — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:24:38 +0000

Join us at the beautiful Mansion House set in the pleasant grounds of Trent Park, Middlesex University, near Oakwood tube station, for an evening of networking & Entertainment; you can enjoy a performance from the So & So Circus, sponsored by Jacksons Lane Theatre, currently touring their latest full-length show, The Hot Dots, which combines acrobatics with physical theatre and film and will be performing an energetic excerpt: Swing Set from the show, containing impressive acrobatics with a playful flair. There will be refreshments and a delicious buffet dinner, so don’t miss out on this easy and enjoyable way to promote your business – book now to avoid disappointment!

Date: 07/10/09 Time: 6 – 8.30pm Cost: £15+vat pp – members and guests, £25+vat pp – non-members

Venue: Middlesex University, Trent Park Campus, Snakes Lane off Bramley Road, London, N14 4YZ

For further information or for booking details please contact Margarita on mktoris@nlcc.co.uk or 020 8443 4464 or alternatively please visit www.nlcc.co.uk

Talent Management!

iwbl — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:46:51 +0000

For this month our focus will be talent Management which seems to be the recipe for success nowdays. Uk business now see the importance of managing talent, but how many get it right?

Also Learning and Development opportunities have been considered as one of the key factors that attracts the best people in your business.

Economic downturns and recessions threaten the HR budgets that underpin effective talent management. Three recent research studies shed light on how talent management is surviving and evolving during the recession, and how it could help employers take best advantage of an upturn. You can find the publications here.(You might have to register in order to see the full reports).

Last but not list an interesting article published back in June suggests how to manage talent during recession period.

Do not forget to Text WBL to 84118 (UK) to get a quote today.

Spotlight – Back to education with attitude and motivation

iwbl — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:40:32 +0000

Education, attitude and motivation are key factors to succeed nowadays based on these 2 interesting articles. In detail…..

Good news for Universities as concerns about the jobs market have led to a huge increase in the number of graduates returning to education.The universities of Glamorgan, Newport, Glyndwr, UWIC and Swansea Metropolitan all say take up of post-graduate courses has risen dramatically. They report rises of between 22% and 59%.

When line managers were asked recently what skills their teams needed training in the most, attitude and motivation came top.This was one finding in an online poll of 400 line managers carried out recently by training materials provider Video Arts.

Recession news & Info (part 2)

iwbl — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:39:57 +0000

The European Central Bank and Willem Buiter from LSE have recently raised concerns about the future of the economy. In detail….

The European Central Bank (ECB) is paying close attention to mounting difficulties at 25 banks deemed crucial to the health of the eurozone financial system, fearing another wave of bank turmoil next year if the recession drags on.

Willem Buiter, professor of European political economy at the London School of Economics, told CIPFA delegates yesterday that the global financial crisis had been “the most serious” since the 1930s and that the global recession is following “with almost mathematical precision” the pattern of the Great Depression.

On the contrary, The UK’s finance services sector could be on a “gradual” road to recovery. CBI claims that incomes and profitability fell in the three months to June, but at a lower rate and business volumes are tipped to rise in the next quarter.

While British Airway’s plan seems to fail (1-month unpaid salary to save some of the company’s dept), BT offered cut paid holidays. This model was praised as the perfect example for the public sector.

Last but not least there is a good analysis published back in February regarding the UK recession for 2009 and 2010 in terms of depth, the bottom and the potential recovery (As stated this is an old post, still very interesting and worth reading).

Recession news

iwbl — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:39:27 +0000

Institute For Work Based Learning – Middlesex University – Recession News this week!
http://www.mdx.ac.uk/wbl/

BBC South East has been given access to the latest regional economy report by the South East England Development Agency (Seeda). We are seeing bank lending return to normal and that means we are starting to see some stabilisation in economic activity Paul Lovejoy, executive director of Seeda.

It outlines the challenges created by the “unprecedented events” in the global financial markets. Unemployment levels have risen by 122% but confidence is “returning”, it said.

A good article on how SMEs can cope with recession as well as a very interesting founding that Family businesses are proving resilient to the downturn, experts say, with many yet to feel the impact of the credit crunch!!!

Unfortunately the news are not equally good for the public sector where it seems that recession recovery will take longer than private firms.