BUSINESSES have been accused of failing to take skills training seriously after less than 1 per cent responded to a nationwide survey.
It was conducted by the Institute of Directors to assess members’
perception of the Learning and Skills Council.
“It seems there is little interest in LSC matters in the business community,” said a spokesperson for the Association of Colleges.
The IOD says 302 of its 55,000 members responded to the survey. Just 3 per cent of respondents thought the council would achieve its target of providing a world-class skills base by 2010 and 4 per cent thought it had succeeded in getting more employers to engage in workforce development. “On the basis of this survey, the LSC cannot be said to have hit the ground running,” said Richard Wilson, of the IOD’s policy executive.
Rob Wye, interim director of policy and development at the LSC, said many employers failed to understand the role of his organisation, “because a lot of the work is delivered through the Small Business Service, colleges and other providers”.
