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Overview

TRAINING IN AUSTRALIA

• During the 12-month period ending February 1997, 61% of all employers provided some training for their employees. More employers provided unstructured training (53%) compared to structured training (35%) with 27% providing both structured and unstructured training. Most Australian employees (92%) worked for an organisation that provided some training in the 12-month period.
• More than half (53%) of the employers who provided structured training during the year reported increased expenditure on structured training compared with the previous 12 months, while just over a third (36%) of those who provided unstructured training increased their level of unstructured training.

	EMPLOYER SIZE
	1-19 employees	20-99 employees	100 or more employees	All employers
Type of training	%	%	%	%
Had provided training
Structured training
Training expenditure increased	15	44	63	18
No change in training expenditure	13	22	23	14
Training expenditure decreased	2	5	8	3
Total	30	71	94	35
Unstructured training
Increased level of training	17	33	34	19
No change in level of training	31	51	53	33
Decreased level of training	*1	2	4	1
Total	49	86	91	53
Employers providing training	57	94	99	61
Did not provide training	43	6	*1	39
Total	100	100	100	100
Proportion of all employers	90	8	2	100

• Technological change was a factor than resulted in increased training expenditure for almost a third (32%) of employers who provided structured training. Over half of those employers (53%) stated it was a factor that increased expenditure compared to the previous 12 months.
  
• Changes in management practices or philosophies (25%) was also a significant factor that resulted in employers spending more on structured training. For large employers, the impact of 'regulations or awards' also contributed towards higher expenditure (45%).

Factor	1-19 employees	20-99 employees	100 or more employees	Employers providing structured training
FACTORS INCREASING TRAINING EXPENDITURE
Reported a factor causing increase
Technological change	28	42	52	32
Availability of external training providers	14	22	16	16
Difficulty in recruiting skilled labour	10	20	13	12
Quality assurance/quality control	17	33	38	21
Enterprise bargaining	2	9	17	4
Competition from business in Australia or overseas	12	11	19	12
Availability of workplace assessors	4	4	10	4
Regulations or awards	13	30	45	18
Restructuring	9	21	34	12
Changes in management practices	21	37	44	25
Reported a factor causing increase	53	69	80	57
Did not report a factor causing increase	47	31	20	43
Total	100	100	100	100

• Employers were asked to indicate whether selected factors limited their expenditure on structured training in the 12-month period ending February 1997. Of the 83% of employers who reported a limitation, over half indicated that their current employees were adequately trained.
• Employers who provided structured training in the 12-month period were more likely to cite cost (48%) and time constraints (51%) as factors that limited further expenditure on structured training. Both these factors were reported by higher proportions of large employers who provided structured training.

	EMPLOYER SIZE
	1-19 employees	20-99 employees	100 or more employees	Employers providing structured training
External training provider	%	%	%	%
EXTERNAL TRAINING PROVIDERS USED MOST OFTEN
Used external training provider
TAFE	30	23	20	28
University	5	**	4	5
Private training providers	16	31	46	20
Professional associations	15	9	8	13
Industry association	7	9	10	8
Equipment manufacturer	10	9	7	10
Other	*5	*7	*2	5
Employers using external training providers	88	91	97	89
Did not use external providers	12	*9	**	11
Total	100	100	100	100

	EMPLOYER SIZE
Reason for selecting external training provider used most often	1-19 employees	20-99 employees	100 or more employees	Employers who used an external training provider
	%	%	%	%
Only suitable provider available	31	30	24	30
Best provider available	39	44	57	40
Expertise not available internally	31	43	61	34
Cost of training course represented value for money	31	34	46	32
Location of training course was convenient	28	34	38	30
Content of training course was suitable	53	63	77	56
Training course was run at a suitable time	28	29	38	29
Favoured method of training delivery	16	21	22	17
Training course was accredited	41	38	44	40
Given opportunity to tailor course to meet own needs	10	21	42	13
Insufficient number of employees	7	*5	10	7
None of these reasons	*4	**	0	*4
Employers providing structured training	100	100	100	100

• Less than two-thirds (61%) of all employers provided training for the 12 months ending February 1997, whereas most employees (92%) worked for an employer that provided training. When training characteristics are looked at in conjunction with the occupations employed, some occupation groups appear to have greater access to employer provided training.
• Most employers who employed ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS (81%) provided training and the vast majority of ASSOCIATE PROFESSIONALS (96%) worked for an employer that provided training. In contrast, fewer employers who employed LABOURERS AND RELATED WORKERS provided training (66%) and a lower proportion of LABOURERS AND RELATED WORKERS worked for employers that provided training (89%).

	Employers providing structured training	Employer providing unstructured training	Total employers providing training	No training provided	Total
Occupation	%	%	%	%	%
EMPLOYERS(a)
Labourers and related workers	38	59	66	34	100
Production and transport workers	37	63	68	32	100
Clerical sales and service workers
Elementary	44	58	67	33	100
Intermediate	46	67	74	26	100
Advanced	50	67	76	24	100
All	41	59	68	32	100
Tradespersons and related workers
	48	61	71	29	100
Associate professionals	59	74	81	19	100
Professionals, managers and administrators
	48	64	73	27	100
All employers	35	53	61	39	100
EMPLOYEES
Labourers and related workers	72	79	89	11	100
Production and transport workers	78	85	91	9	100
Clerical sales and service workers
Elementary	77	84	93	7	100
Intermediate	80	86	92	8	100
Advanced	77	85	90	10	100
All	78	85	92	8	100
Tradespersons and related workers
	79	78	90	10	100
Associate professionals	90	87	96	4	100
Professionals, managers and administrators
	88	89	94	6	100
All employers	80	84	92	8	100
(a) An employer may be counted more than once depending on the type of occupations employed.

• More than half of all employers (53%) provided unstructured training to their employees during the 12 months ending February 1997. For almost half of employers proving unstructured training, this was the only form of training provided (49%).
• Just over a third of employers who provided unstructured training and also employed LABOURERS AND RELATED WORKERS reported that unstructured training was the only training these employees received. It was the same for ELEMENTARY CLERICAL AND SERVICE WORKERS and PRODUCTION AND TRANSPORT WORKERS.

Occupation	Nil	Some (less than half)	Most (more than half)	All	Total	Employers providing unstructured training(a)
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Labourers and related workers	10	26	26	37	100	35
Production and transport workers	17	29	21	33	100	19
Clerical sales and service workers
Elementary	7	28	31	34	100	33
Intermediate	10	34	25	30	100	47
Advanced	15	35	21	28	100	53
Tradespersons and related workers	10	31	32	27	100	35
Associate professionals	19	39	19	23	100	33
Professionals, managers and administrators	22	36	19	24	100	60
(a) Total employers providing unstructured training who indicated that the occupation group was applicable to their organisation.

• Nearly one-third of all employers (32%) reported that the operations of their organisation had significantly changed in the 12 months ended February 1997 with more large employers (74%) undergoing significant change than medium (57%) or small employers (29%).
• Most employers (88%) who experienced significant change provided training with over half (57%) providing structured training.

				Did not
	Provided			provide
	training			training	Total
	Structured	Unstructured	Any training
Significant change in operations
Development of new product/services	56	77	88	12	100
Introduction of new technology	62	85	92	*8	100
Significant capital investment in machinery or equipment to increase productive capacity	54	79	85	*15	100
Restructuring of the organisation/changes in management personnel	64	82	88	12	100
Introduction of new work practices	59	82	90	*10	100
Changes in industrial relations legislation	67	72	82	*18	100
Employers with significant change in operations	57	78	88	12	100
No significant change in operations	24	42	49	51	100
Total	35	53	61	39	100