Classroom training is still the most common form of work related training in the UK, but most employees believe that ‘being shown how to do things and practicing them’ is the best method of learning. This finding from a survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development confirms the results of surveys in the previous two years.

The survey findings also show that younger respondents, aged 16 – 24, also favoured the ‘being shown how to do things and practising them’ method of learning. This appears to disprove the widely held assumption that Y generation learning preferences are considerably different from older employees.

The survey confirms the trend that training responsibility throughout UK organisations is moving from training decisions being made by the HR department to line managers. There has been a decrease in respondents stating that the training they received was initiated by the HR and Training department, down from 33 per cent in 2005 to 21 per cent in 2008. There was an increase in training interventions instigated by the line manager, up from 45 per cent to 49 per cent.

The survey results also challenge the often reported idea that organizations suffer from a mass of reluctant trainees, with respondents being generally positive about learning and training at work. Of the 751 respondents, 79 per cent said that their employer provides them with enough training opportunities. Very few employees decline training opportunities and 82 per cent had received training in the previous 12 months.

The report is available from the CIPD. http://www.cipd.co.uk