Businesses could benefit from a skills audit

16:44 1st June 2009

Businesses that audit staff skills on a regular basis could find they are able to pinpoint problem areas more efficiently, according to an expert organisation.

The Learning Skills Council (LSC) said that audits could help firms to identify which of their staff have specific skills sets and where more resources need to be allocated to address any deficits.

Nearly 70 per cent of people in the UK who have pursued specialist skills - potentially including advanced computer training - do not have the opportunity to use them in the workplace, according to figures from Oxford Intelligence.

Paul Holme, regional skills director for the LSC, said: "More employers are investing in training and more learners are achieving higher levels of qualifications after leaving school. In the current economic climate, employers now need to, even more so, utilise the skills of their staff."

He added that the recession makes investment in skills sets even more important than it has been in recent years.

Of over 2,000 employees recently surveyed by the Work Foundation, 40 per cent were found to have more skills than they needed for their existing position.