Why does it matter?
Employers face a major challenge in maintaining and generating
employees' skills to ensure that they can contribute to their
organizations' performance and competitiveness. Employers
generally recognize that training and skills development
can lead to better business performance. In order for Canada
to improve its productivity, it must build its human capital.
For business, training may be seen as a tool to effect strategic
change and a means to achieve a competitive edge. Therefore,
increasingly training is seen as an investment that will
provide beneficial returns, rather than a cost to be borne.
Investment in human assets of a company may have the greatest
potential for increased productivity: “the way employees
are trained will determine in large extent their asset value
to the company by measurable improvements in job performance
and organizational change.”
The results of the Conference Board of Canada's 2005 Learning
and Development annual survey of Canadian organizations indicated
that high-learning organizations enjoyed stronger business
performance. High-learning organizations scored higher on
all indicators of organizational success (including retention
of talent, employee satisfaction, quality of products and
services, productivity, and profitability) than their medium
and low learning counterparts. 1
A successful company is willing to invest in employees,
personally and professionally. Successful companies are developing
a learning system where employees can learn and grow to continually
improve individual, team, and operational-unit performance
and realize their career aspirations. 2
Development related to Essential skills promotes:
- a skilled, adaptable and resilient workforce;
- a flexible, efficient labour market; and
- an environment in which the needs of employers
and workers are better addressed.
Essential skills training creates benefits including a safer
and more productive working and home environment. Improvements
in essential skills, particularly reading, writing and document
use allow workers to better understand and contribute to
improvements in their health and safety.
Research has shown a learning environment helps with retention,
especially among employees who value creativity and learning.
Employers are working to keep employees long-term by finding
ways to keep them performing and developing. Successful companies
are developing a learning system where employees can learn
and grow to continually improve individual, team, and operational-unit
performance and realize their career aspirations. 3
1 Parker,
Owen; “TheReal
Bottom Line on Training: It's How, Not How Much”, The Conference
Board of Canada 2005
2 Jossi,
Frank; Chief Learning Officers Link Training and Business
Goals; Workforce Online, November 2002
3 Jossi,
Frank; Chief Learning Officers Link Training and Business
Goals; Workforce Online, November 2002
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