Skills - ever wondered why they're so important?

We often hear about the need for skills in the workplace, but have you ever wondered why they’re so important?

The success of any business depends on the skills of its workforce, at all levels. Well trained employees bring a number of benefits that add to a business’s competitive advantage; these benefits include higher productivity, improved service, increased employee confidence and motivation, and greater customer satisfaction. Training has been shown to boost staff productivity by 4% per employee* which helps increase profitability, so getting businesses to recognise the importance of skills is crucial. Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for land-based and environmental industries champions skills in the workplace, urging businesses to see the benefit of investing in skills development and valuing existing knowledge and experience. Chris Catchpole, Lantra’s Sector Entry and Careers Manager said: “Future trends point to a more educated workforce, but it’s important for businesses to have staff with the right skills, including the basic skills. Education and training is changing and becoming more responsive to the needs of the workforce, but employees also need to have a mix of knowledge, skills and abilities.” Research shows that businesses that provide training for their staff are 2.5 times more likely to succeed than those who don’t**, demonstrating that training and development are a key part of businesses remaining competitive and evolving to meet the changing circumstances of the sector. Chris continued: “It’s important for people to prepare for the jobs of the future to ensure that they have the necessary skills to access the opportunities that will be available to them.” Whilst having staff with the right skills can be a great asset for any business, it’s just as important that managers have the right skills to understand how their employees’ skills are used to foster creativity and innovation, which will help businesses to respond to the changes ahead, and to be able to compete and succeed. Having a skilled staff is essential; there can be little more important than equipping the sector with the skills it needs, for the jobs it needs, both today and tomorrow. For more information about Lantra, or to find out how Lantra can support your business, please visit www.lantra.co.uk, telephone 0845 707 8007 or email connect@lantra.co.uk. ENDS CREDIT FOR PHOTOS: Skills in the workplace EDITORS NOTES: • Lantra, the Sector Skills Council for environmental and land-based industries represents the interests of approximately 19,000 businesses which employ around 63,000 employees (approximately 9% of the workforce) in Northern Ireland. • Lantra is an employer-led organisation, which is licensed by the UK government to drive forward the skills, training and business development agenda for the 17 industries in the sector. The industries represented are: agricultural crops; agricultural livestock; animal care; animal technology; aquaculture; environmental conservation; equine; farriery; fencing; fisheries management; floristry; game and wildlife management; horticulture, landscape and sports turf; land-based engineering; production horticulture; trees and timber; and veterinary nursing. • *Fiscal studies • **Research undertaken in 2007 by the UK Commission for Skills and Employment (UKCES)

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