Need for more guidance for employee professional development training

An online survey, conducted by Findcourses.co.uk, concludes that more guidance is needed when it comes to employees choosing professional development training. 52% of Brits, that took part in the survey, were looking for training – but did not know which type of course / qualification was required to progress in their careers.  More advice and guidance is needed to help people gain the right skills for their personal and professional development.

Users of Findcourses.co.uk were asked during July 2011, if they knew which training or courses they required to achieve their personal or professional development goal(s), or not.  The survey concluded that more than half (52%) of the nearly 1,300 polled were on the site, which is the UK’s largest site dedicated to Professional Development Training, looking at the training options that are available to them. Additionally, only 1% of respondents were comparing courses in different topics.  There was however a group of respondents (47%) that were using findcourses.co.uk to find a specific course title / qualification for their development. Experts believe this data suggests that more advice and guidance is required from companies and managers to support employees regarding which courses or training is best for their professional development.

Often employees need guidance in narrowing down the wide array of professional development training options that are available. “Understanding what you need to do to advance in your chosen career is very important. Ambition can take you so far, but having the right skills, gaining the right professional certificates, networking, managing your career and professional development are all important aspects to consider when planning where you want to be.  As such, it is important that companies have a clear method in place for providing employees with the career guidance they deserve,” read a report from the Chartered Institute for IT.

In addition to those polled in the UK, a parallel study of 700 respondents was conducted in Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Denmark, sites that are part of the FindCourses Global Group. Results from Finland and Denmark showed similar trends to the UK, with a majority of respondents looking at all the training options available to them. The respondents in Germany had the most evenly divided answers with 32% seeking a specific course, 36% browsing various training options, 25% searching for course inspiration, and 7% comparing courses of different topics.  Of all the countries polled, Sweden showed the highest number of users browsing the site to gain insight as to what training options are available to them.

“There is an incredible number of training opportunities available to employees for professional development. However, navigating through and deciding which courses would be most valuable can often be an overwhelming experience.  By preparing a comprehensive CPD plan, employees will be better equipped with knowledge concerning appropriate certifications to undertake, training that will advance their careers, and courses that will provide them with value adding skills to better the organisation,” said Kate Butterworth Site Manager at findcourses.co.uk.

21^st September, 2011
Press Release issued by:
Leah Schothorst, Communication Assistant
leah.schothorst@findcourses.co.uk
+44 (0)203 318 6283