Investors in People and training in the British SME sector

Abstract

Successive UK governments have encouraged small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to pursue Investors in People (IiP) recognition in order to increase levels of employer-provided training in the sector. Using data from the 1998 and 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Surveys, this article reports the extent of change in the proportion of workplaces in small, medium and large firms with IiP recognition and assesses the relationship between IiP and training activity. The analysis reveals an increase in the proportion of workplaces in medium-sized firms with recognition but no increase in the proportion of workplaces in small or large firms with recognition. With regard to the relationship between IiP and training activity, a positive association is found in large firms where both managers/ professionals and non-managers are concerned. In medium-sized firms, however, IiP is only associated with higher levels of non-management training, and in small firms, it is only associated with higher levels of management/professional training.