Developing skills in the Canadian workplace: the results of the Ekos Workplace Training Survey

This document reports on a national study on the factors influencing workplace training in Canada. The Ekos Workplace Training Survey investigated three major issues: the patterns of training activity in Canadian industry; the factors determining employer and employee decisions about investment in training; and, the impacts of training for employers and employees. The report demonstrates the benefits of training for both workers and organisations in relation to wages, self-confidence, and productivity, however, access to formal workplace training is very uneven. The report begins with a review of the literature on workplace training and a description of the research design. The analysis of workplace training is based on both quantitative and qualitative data collected during the survey. Findings are presented on training activities within Canadian industry and covering aspects such as the incidence of training, the balance between formal and informal training, and types and methods of training. The following section examines the training 'decision' and training processes within organisations and training outcomes from the perspective of both the employer and the employee. The report concludes with a summary of the survey results and a discussion of the policy implications for both governments and organisations. The authors identify some valuable advice for management emerging from the research and outline goals for public policy development in the area of workplace training. Show less