It seems that a lack of training is endemic in British businesses and that this problem existed long before the current financial crisis.

Home Learning College’s own research shows that almost two thirds of workers have never received financial help from their organisation towards the cost of gaining a professionally recognised qualification. A further 37% say that their employer does not take any interest in developing their skills.

The survey, which was conducted among adults in employment, also revealed that although bosses still believe money and job security are the main motivating factors, around a fifth of workers have actually left a job due to a lack of training opportunities.

Further research among senior decision makers from small, medium and larger organisations revealed that this is a particularly pertinent issue for larger businesses. While a quarter of medium sized companies report having lost staff because they couldn’t provide training this figure rises to 49% for businesses with over 250 employees.

While there is no doubt that factors such as salary increases and progression opportunities play a key role in employee engagement, most people understand that these are not always possible when times get tough. Implementing a short term freeze in such areas is generally accepted with relative good grace when the reasons are fully understood.

However, employers should be careful not to push staff loyalty to its limits because once lost it can be hard to re-gain. Many employees have been forced to grin and bear a lack of investment in their development over the past 12 to 18 months due to a dearth of opportunities elsewhere and an unwillingness to rock the boat. However, this should not be mistaken for genuine engagement. In reality, any economic upswing is likely to encourage vast swathes of the workforce to start actively considering their options.

It’s fair to say that post-recessionary recovery depends on retaining talented employees. Any business that fails to maintain the loyalty of its workforce is likely to experience a mass exodus as soon as the job market picks up. This will have a direct impact on the organisation’s ability to respond to favourable economic conditions and could be the difference between success and failure.

Introducing a cost-effective training programme is an ideal way to start increasing engagement. This assertion is backed up by feedback from employees, 49% of which say that relevant training would help to compensate for not being offered a pay rise or promotion in the immediate future.

It may seem obvious, but the key to a successful training programme lies in ensuring that it delivers real value to all parties. Unfortunately it seems that this common sense approach is not always followed, with almost a fifth of bosses across a wide range of organisations saying that training is allocated by gut instinct or who shouts the loudest.

To compound this issue, a quarter of senior decision makers who took part in Home Learning College’s research admitted that training is not properly evaluated in their company – a figure that rose to 38% in larger businesses. It’s no wonder that the true Benefits are often underestimated when outlay of time and money in this area is not fully assessed for return on investment.