A guide to training

Editors welcome and introduction

UK business spends £39bn on workforce training each year, according to the Confederation of British Industry. With a working population of 30 million that means we spend an average of £1,200 per employee per year on training. Making sure that investment works for your organization and the wider economy is vital.

In today’s challenging times, concentrating on quality training – in both senses of the word – is particularly important to ensure that your training and development spend is effectively focused on your business needs.

The CQI promotes the idea that quality management can make business better by improving customer satisfaction, reducing cost and improving efficiency in business processes and in risk management. These will be the key determinants for survival for many organizations as we enter the recession and ensuring that your company has professional competence in quality tools, techniques and approaches will be key to their delivery.

The articles and case studies featured within the QW Guide to Training provide an insight into how your organization can approach the development of quality competence at different levels within your business.

Demands placed on the quality profession are growing and practitioners are increasingly asked to step outside their comfort zones to focus on strategy and change management. This has been reinforced by the CQI’s launch of the Chartered Quality Professional grade in 2008, which ensures recognition with peers and employers. Then profession is now placed on a par with other chartered occupations and the standing of quality within an organization is raised. In this context, an emphasis on ongoing training and development for established quality professionals is essential.

Companies choose Chartered Quality Professionals because they have the ability to deploy the quality concepts and tools to improve business. They also know what training and development is required throughout the organization to achieve these outcomes. In these tough economic times, where businesses are seeking to add value wherever possible, quality training could be the key to making business better.

HELEN STOKES Editor