Employers are finding that training can achieve results they’d never considered previously when thinking about upskilling their workers.

In 2010 the number of Australian students enrolled in certificate IV and diploma level qualifications increased by 16.3% and 20.2% respectively from 2009.

A study by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) found that from certificate II to diploma, there were 1.4 million students undertaking formal qualifications, an increase of 8.5% from the previous year.

The study also found that the total number of students enrolled in the public vocational education and training reached 1.8 million in 2010, an increase of 5.4% from 2009.

To a large extent this increased interest in undertaking training could be the result of our present economic uncertainty. With fewer job opportunities people are more interested in boosting their skills to enhance their value to employers.

Employers too are finding that training can achieve results they’d never considered previously when thinking about upskilling their workers. These can include:

• A better occupational health and safety record
• Increased customer satisfaction
• Increased rates of employee retention
• An enhanced corporate Image
• Improved results from recruitment efforts

Note that all these employer benefits are the direct results of increasing the skills of their employees; it’s a definite win-win situation.

And this carries through to the employer’s bottom line. The Conference Board of Canada, an independent, not-for-profit applied research organisation, conducted a study of employers to see how training affected their profitability.

56 percent of the employers interviewed stated that they increased their profits as a result of higher performance of employees who gained skills in training programs.

Across all sectors, employers’ estimates of increases typically ranged from 5 - 25 percent.

No wonder training is growing in popularity with both employers and their employees. If you’d like to discuss how a program of targeted training can benefit your business, contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it