Lancashire Support Spotlight: how supporting employee learning can help your business grow

This week (May 18 - 24) is Learning at Work Week, an annual event led by the Campaign for Learning to celebrate and promote workplace learning and development.

According to the latest government statistics, 59 per cent of UK employers provided workplace training in 2024, with a total of £53 billion spent. However, this is down from £59bn in 2022 and there are also disparities in the training offered depending on the size of companies.

Only 44 per cent of smaller businesses, (2 to 4 staff) provided training in the previous 12 months, compared with 96 per cent of companies with 250 or more staff.

Learning at Work Week is also a timely reminder for Lancashire businesses of the benefits of supporting employees’ learning and development, through mentoring, apprenticeships, peer learning, online resources, workshops, shadowing or coaching.

Here are five ways supporting employee learning can help your Lancashire business grow.

1. Develop future leaders

As a business expands, leaders often need to delegate more, introduce new structures and give others greater responsibility.

Supporting employee learning through training or mentoring can help develop future managers, supervisors and specialists from within your existing team. By investing in leadership, communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills, businesses can create a stronger pipeline of people ready to step into more senior roles.

Helping employees grow into new responsibilities can reduce pressure on senior leaders, improve day-to-day decision-making and create capacity for future growth.

Ther are a number of  programmes available in Lancashire to help develop future leaders; one is is Help to Grow – Management, delivered by Lancaster University, University of Lancashire and Edge Hill University.

Find out more about the programme here.

There are also Skills Bootcamps, these are intensive and flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to progress in their chosen role. Find out more about Skills Bootcamps here.

2. Encourage innovation and new ideas

Workplace learning develops both technical and critical thinking skills. This can help employees spot opportunities, challenge existing processes and bring fresh ideas into the business.

For growing businesses, innovation is often driven by the people closest to day-to-day operations. Supporting employee learning gives staff the confidence and knowledge to suggest improvements, test new approaches and help move the business forward.

Edge Hill’s Productivity and Innovation Centre is a brilliant example of the support available in Lancashire to encourage innovation, with more information available here.

3. Improve productivity

When employees have the right skills and knowledge, they work more efficiently and solve problems more independently. This can be particularly important for SMEs, where every role can have a significant impact.

Learning can also help businesses get more value from the tools and systems they already use, such as CRM systems and digital marketing platforms and programmes including Be The Business’s Productivity Programme can support this. 

Small improvements in capability can lead to productivity gains by reducing bottlenecks and giving team members the confidence to take on new responsibilities.

4. Retain and motivate your team

A key thread of Boost’s recent Growth Hub Pulse insight articles is the difficulties employers are facing in recruitment and retention and organisations. Supporting employee learning to develop their skills through programmes such as Lancashire Skills and Employment Hub’s Skills Bootcamps can help show your team that you are invested in their future.

Employees who feel valued and supported are more likely to see a long-term future within the business. This can reduce recruitment costs, protect knowledge within the organisation and help create a more positive workplace culture.

The new Connect to Work programme also offers business several benefits including, access to a new pool of job-ready candidates,‎ Improved staff retention and wellbeing, a more inclusive and diverse workplace all at no cost to your business.

To find out more click here.

5. Adapt to changing markets and technologies

Markets, customer expectations and technologies continue to evolve in business and adapting to this change is not just about having the right strategy - it is also about making sure people have the skills, confidence and understanding to put that strategy into practice.

Employee learning can help teams build confidence in areas such as digital tools, data, automation, cyber security and sustainability and customer service and funded support currently available for Lancashire businesses includes IN4.0’s AI and data training.

Make learning part of your growth plans

There is a range of support available via Boost to help Lancashire businesses support the development of their staff in a wide range of areas.

To find out more, contact Boost’s Business Support Helpdesk on 0800 488 0057 or visit the People and Skills and & Leadership and Management areas of the Boost Support Directory to explore what is available.

In Lancashire check out the Lancashire Skills Pledge, one door through which you can discover more about Lancashire’s key skills and training initiatives. Offering impartial advice, support and access to funded skills training focused on providing opportunities for Lancashire businesses.