Keywords
Citation
(2001), "The UK trails in skills management", Education + Training, Vol. 43 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2001.00443cab.002
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2001, MCB UP Limited
The UK trails in skills management
The UK trails in skills management
Keywords: Europe, Skills, Assessment
Firms in the UK and Ireland lag behind those in The Netherlands and France when it comes to assessing the skills of their workforce. A four-country survey reveals that 77 per cent of Dutch companies and 68 per cent of French firms have a system in place, while the corresponding figure for the UK and Ireland is 25 per cent. The investigation reveals that many companies fail to keep adequate records of training and assessed skill levels. Often, only records of formal qualifications and training courses are kept, with no indication of whether the skills remain up to date. In many organizations, "soft" skills, such as people management, are not monitored. Despite the findings, 96 per cent of organizations questioned said that assessment of skills and competency is important or very important.
The survey was carried out by the European School of Management, and sponsored by John Matchett Ltd. Companies with more than 500 employees were targeted. Interviews were carried out with senior human-resource management specialists.