Small firms encouraged to take skills audit

Date: 1st June 2009

A workforce skills audit can help small businesses to better focus their resources, a leading employment expert has claimed.

An official from the Learning and Skills Council has suggested that more managers should take the time to assess how they could better utilise their members of staff.

Paul Holme, regional skills director at the organisation, believes that the recession has encouraged more businesses to invest in their workforce.

He said: "In the current economic climate, employers now need to - even more so - utilise the skills of their staff.

"Whilst a skills audit is not a specific requirement, undertaking one would give them a better knowledge of their existing work base, enabling them to focus their resources more effectively."

An investigation by the Work Foundation earlier this year revealed that 40 per cent of UK employees have more skills than their profession requires.