One third of training budgets cut in last 12 months

Around one third of UK organisations have cut their training and budgets in the last twelve months, according to new research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

32% of respondents to the CIPD's annual Learning and Development Survey - which questioned 663 learning, training and development managers - reported that they have witnessed a decrease in their training budget in the last twelve months.

This reduction in training spend in UK organisations correlates to a perceived worsening in economic conditions generally - 39% reported that their organisations faced worse economic circumstances than in the previous year.

The public sector's economic outlook is particularly gloomy. Only 5% of respondents in the public sector reported better economic circumstances in the past 12 months, while almost two-thirds said they were operating in worse economic conditions.

The public sector's dreary economic outlook is further emphasised when compared to the private sector. More than half of respondents from the public sector reported that funding for training has decreased in the past year, compared to a quarter in the private sector.

Voluntary sector organisations had a brighter outlook - only a fifth of respondents from this sector reported a decrease in training spend over the last year and proportionally more respondents in the voluntary sector than in either the private or public sector reported an increase in funding for training.

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