Home > News > November 2005 > 10-Nov-2005

Small Firms Initiative hits target

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has announced that 20,000 businesses have committed to improving the skills of their employees, meeting one of the key targets of the Small Firms Initiative.

The initiative offered companies with less than 50 staff over £1,000 of business support to help them pursue the Investors in People Standard.

Its aim was to secure an additional 20,000 commitments to the Standard by March 2005, with a further aspiration that half of these will result in recognition by March 2006.

Under the scheme organisations were able to access one-to-one sessions with advisers, workshops and online support tools to help assess current levels of workforce development within their business. Action plans were then put in place so employers understood what needed to be improved to reach the Investors in People Standard.

David Greer, director - skills for employers at the LSC, said: "The companies we have worked with have seen a real difference to their bottom line, as well as having more motivated and productive staff.

"Employees themselves have also benefited, with the introduction of regular appraisals and feedback sessions. Most of the employers wouldn't have made these changes without this initiative, highlighting the importance of our investment. "

According to the LSC, an evaluation of the programme has shown that the initiative had other advantages for the businesses involved. These included an improvement in the management of the organisation, an increase in morale and more structured training plans for staff.

Ruth Spellman, Chief Executive of Investors in People UK said: "Effective management and development of people is central to the continuing success of UK organisations. Over 60,000 organisations are already working with the Investors in People Standard to full advantage and, thanks to the support of the Government we have successfully introduced it to 20,000 more organisations. I am confident that they will see the same benefits of improved productivity that thousands of other organisations have seen to date."

The Small Firms Initiative was a £30 million programme announced in the March 2002 budget, funded through the Learning and Skills Council and delivered by Business Link.

External links

Investors in People UK

Learning and Skills Council

Business Link

Training Reference is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites.

Training and development books

Discover books on a variety of training and development topics at the Training Reference Bookshop

Source suppliers

Visit the Training Reference Directory to view supplier details for a wide range of courses, products and services.

Sponsored links

Back to top