Ranstad says companies should ‘train to retain’ staff (From Watford Observer)

Ranstad says companies should ‘train to retain’ staff

8:50am Monday 29th November 2010 in Business News

A survey of the latest trends in job market sentiments and employee expectations by leading recruitment agency Randstad has found almost half of UK workers want their employer to do more to support them in their career development.

UK workers are eager to build up their skills and progress in their careers. The Randstad quarterly workmonitor survey reveals that more than eight out of ten UK workers want to keep developing throughout their careers.

A similar proportion believes that their employer should support them in their career development. Yet only 55 per cent feel their firm is doing enough to help them keep developing and only 11 per cent strongly agree.

While training is often seen as discretionary expenditure, cutbacks could prove to be a false economy.

The Randstad workmonitor highlights that six out of ten workers would switch jobs if a new employer could help them to develop faster or better. Giving a low priority to training risks losing key talent and could make it harder for companies to compete in a tough business environment.

The threat of losing key talent because of poor training opportunities was further underlined in Randstad’s new world of work report, which incorporates the perspectives of both employees and employers.

When asked what would lure them away, employees ranked quality training and development at number two, just behind competitive pay. But employers don’t appear to recognise the importance of training in retention. When asked what will make their staff stay, employers put training way down the list at number eight.

Graham Trevor, HR Director of Randstad Staffing said: “It is important for organisations to recognise the value that employees attach to learning and development and ensure that their training matches staff expectations. Otherwise they risk losing key talent.

” It is also important to ensure that training strategies are aligned with overall business goals by identifying the specific skills needed to deliver commercial objectives both now and in the future and judging what gaps may need to be overcome.”