Learning champions in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

In 2006 we conducted research with SMEs in the North East of England on behalf of the LSC. We explored the role of learning champions in non-unionised organisations in a number of sectors including Care, Construction and Hospitality, Leisure, Travel and Tourism to see whether there were elements of the Union Learning Representative model that would be relevant in this context, what benefits the company obtained and any barriers they had found to implementing learning champions initiatives.

The research showed that:

• Few SMEs in this sample had learning champions, or are aware of their existence; business managers and HR staff primarily drive learning in these organisations
• Excellent and innovative relationships exist between schools and businesses, particularly in the Construction sector
• There was a strong correlation between having learning frameworks such as Investors in People and having a positive learning culture

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