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Improve your management skills and grow your business in 2008, says Denham

31 December 2007

Small business managers should resolve to make 2008 a year to improve their leadership skills and boost their competitiveness, John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills said today.

Mr Denham made his call for action to highlight how small businesses can take advantage of a huge expansion of Government funded training which will come on stream later in the New Year.

Funding for tailor-made management and leadership training provided through the Government's 'Train to Gain' service is rising from £4million to £30million a year for next three years.

Just one call to the 'Train to Gain' helpline gives employers access to an impartial and independent skills broker to help them identify their basic or higher level skills needs. Training from a range of available services can be sourced, including local education institutions and publicly or privately funded training providers. This could mean a formal certified training programme or, for others, a coach or mentor to help businesses improve the way they manage staff.

Mr Denham said:

Small business managers are the backbone of our economy, making an immense contribution to innovation, boosting regional competitiveness and bringing opportunity and enterprise to local communities.

To really succeed in an increasingly competitive climate, every small business manager needs to get the best from their employees. Despite the time pressures they face, no small business manager can afford to cut corners on training - either for their employees, or themselves.

This is why I have made the provision of leadership and management training, tailored to the individual needs of each business, a priority for 2008. Since its launch in 2006, Train to Gain has helped more than 52,000 employers and enabled over 240,000 employees to undertake training. If you manage a small business, I urge you to join in this fantastic work and make your business a winner in the New Year.

From 2008, the overall Train to Gain budget will double to over £1billion in 2010/11 ensuring that skills training is available for employees in every company in the country. The increases in funding for management training for small and medium-sized enterprises (those between 10 and 249 employees) will support managers in around 42,000 companies over the next three years.

Skills Minister David Lammy, said:

Services aimed at small businesses only work if they are flexible enough to be used when and where employers want them. In expanding Train to Gain, we've listened closely to the business community to ensure we've met their needs - in particular in designing the enhanced management training service.

I hope that employers will respond by making full use of the opportunity to improve their staff leadership credentials, and to get their staff trained up to deliver real growth in 2008.

Ian Smith, Chairman of the UK's Leadership and Management Advisory Panel, said:

This additional Government money to fund the expansion of the leadership and management programme is fantastic news. The programme, which has been developed with and for small to medium sized businesses, really does give managers the support they need to run their businesses more effectively, to increase productivity and ultimately to improve economic performance.

Notes to Editors

  1. To find out more about how Train to Gain can help, employers should call 0800 015 55 45 or visit www.traintogain.gov.uk. Alternatively, individuals and employers can access the information they need on skills via a dedicated phone line and website. The phone number is 0800 011 30 30 or website: www.lsc.gov.uk/inourhands
  2. Train to Gain is important because skills shortages continue to have a negative impact on UK productivity and competitiveness in the face of fast-growing economies. Train to Gain aims to encourage all businesses and individuals to value and realise the benefits that learning and skills can bring and to invest appropriately. It is expected that by the end of 2010, over 500,000 learners will have achieved a first full Level 2 qualification through Train to Gain.
  3. The doubling of funding in the Train to Gain Service is part of a massive investment programme announced in November by Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills John Denham, which will see more than £11 billion a year invested in education, employment and training.
  4. Agreements with each Sector Skills Council, the industry-led bodies responsible for identifying and meeting skills needs, will ensure Train to Gain meets the requirements of employers in each sector and enable every company to access appropriate training.
  5. For further information or case studies contact Oliver Fry in the DIUS press on 020 3300 8927 or 07795 451533