A LinkedIn survey of 4,000 professionals this month found that 94% of employees would stay longer at a company that invested in their career development.
Employers are also waking up to this reality with 90% of employers participating in this same workplace learning research, agreeing that learning in the workplace is a necessary staff benefit if companies want to retain staff and develop their talent base.
The Learning Workplace Breakfast took place this morning at Cork Institute of Technology from 7:30am to 9:30am. This was the first in a series of Cork Learning City events to champion successful partnerships between education and industry. Representatives from Johnson & Johnson, Cork City Council, Aldi, Boston Scientific and Pfizer Ireland will be describing how they have brought education into the workplace.
Lord Mayor, Councillor Mick Finn, said: “The day of a person’s education ending at the school or university gates is over. Technology is transforming how we work, live and interact with those around us and and there is a growing awareness that lifelong learning is a key part of any business that is built for the future. Cork Learning City promotes learning in the workplace, community, classroom and home and so is a fantastic support for any industry that wants to be future proofed.”
One of the speakers was Lillian Buckley, Regional Co-ordinator with Skills for Work (SfW), of Cork Educational Training Board (CETB). SfW works with retail, manufacturing factories, sole traders, hospitality, the Defence Forces and farmers amongst others. It provides Workplace Language Support courses (WLS) for employees whose first language is not English. This WLS course enables employees to upskill and avail of advancement opportunities.
SfW also provide IT training to members of the farming community, who are facing increased requests from Department of Agriculture to do their transactions online. Online herd registration and learning to utilise sales and marketing sites like Done Deal are some of the main draws for farmers taking up courses. Career Preparation Courses for those retiring from the Defence Force is another SfW programme rolled out nationwide.