The Declining Volume of Workers' Training in Britain. (8th May 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Green, Francis; Felstead, Alan; Gallie, Duncan; Inanc, Hande; Jewson, Nick
• Is Part Of: British journal of industrial relations. Volume 54:Number 2(2016:Jun.)
• Page Start: 422
• Page End: 448
• Publication Date: 2015-05-08
• Subjects: Industrial relations -- Periodicals; 331
• DOI: 10.1111/bjir.12130
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0007-1080

Abstract

Abstract: The conventional focus on the training participation rate, rather than training volume, in official statistics and research has obscured a radical transformation in workers' training in Britain. To obtain a picture of the trend in training volume, we synthesize a narrative through a new analysis of multiple surveys. The duration of training fell sharply with the result that the training volume per worker declined by about a half between 1997 and 2012. This fall is hard to reconcile with optimistic rhetoric surrounding the knowledge economy. Potential explanations are discussed. We conclude with recommendations to improve the collection of training statistics.