Hi

One of the main reasons to work for a business, other than salary and benefits, is the opportunity to learn and develop. According to a 2022 Deloitte survey it comes only behind work-life balance.

As I wrote about a few weeks ago, when I joined Arthur Andersen & Co after leaving University I was fortunate to have an outstanding training experience from which I – and my clients – have benefited.

But one of the key reasons for the low productivity of UK businesses compared with our European neighbours is the lack of a culture of learning. 

A learning culture is one where training forms a key pillar of the firm’s business strategy. It also recognises that learning is hard and takes you out of your comfort zone. It requires commitment, resilience, and a willingness to fail and learn from your mistakes. 

Businesses with a learning culture are the ones that acknowledge and celebrate the hard work of their learners and show them the benefits of their effort.

So why are training budgets cut when times are hard which is often the case?

One reason is that historically training has been expensive to deliver. Face to face training required travel, and often accommodation, costs and the number of leaners each trainer could teach was limited by space constraints. (Although anyone who remembers the Arthur Andersen FASTS training in the 1970s and 80s will remember how they were pioneering the use of technology to reach large audiences).

These days, of course, there is no excuse for not delivering high quality training and making it available to everyone in the business. The development of virtual and online training platforms means that virtually any type of training can be delivered and consumed in the workplace and at home.

Most entrepreneurial business owners know the importance of allocating time each day to working on their business as well as in it. Usually this is time spent developing strategy and marketing campaigns.

If businesses prioritised learning, they could also give their teams, say, 45 minutes per day to learn new skills. The investment of time, effort and cash would be well worth it and would significantly improve the competitiveness of UK businesses.

Noel Guilford