Businesses should take responsibility for the UK skills shortage by investing more in their employees, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
The human resources organisation believes line managers are key figures making sure this development takes place.
A survey released today by the CIPD shows that while 90 per cent of respondents think line managers have an important or very important role to play in learning and development, just 12 per cent think their line managers take learning and development very seriously.
"To ensure that learning and development is effective, organisations need 'buy in' from all employees regardless of level," CIPD learning and development adviser Victoria Winkler commented.
"Line managers are key to delivering this and thus need to be supported in meeting their employees' needs."
The CIPD claims a shift towards training and development has been one of the biggest trends in the business world in the last five years. However, it warns that many firms often shirk from providing training for their employees because of limited funds available for the purpose.
Ms Winkler warned that the cumulative impact of such decisions could have a larger impact.
"As the UK's economy becomes increasingly service-led organisations cannot afford to be complacent about addressing their employees' learning and development needs. Learning and development activities are vital to ensure that the workforce is kept up to date with fast changing skills demands," she concluded.
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