Print version Recommend this page Press release
43/ 2009
Bonn, 15.12.2009
Education controlling: Companies focus primarily on costs
'Education controlling' became more important and widespread in German enterprises in the years between 1997 and 2007. Approximately one out of every two firms currently uses at least single elements of education controlling. Here the rule is: The larger the company, the greater the probability that it uses education controlling. However, many small enterprises use at least some elements of education controlling and are, for example, even more interested than larger companies in documenting the costs as well as the benefits of continuing vocational training. This is a finding from a representative survey of some 1,400 enterprises conducted by the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB).
In this connection, education controlling should not be understood as the checking or monitoring of continuing education. Rather, it means that the planning, measuring, evaluation and steering of continuing training measures in the particular company mesh systematically with one another as a cycle. Education controlling is a concept that provides a flow and phase model for managing continuing vocational training. It encompasses needs analyses, the implementation of individual measures, the measurement of results and ensuring the transfer of knowledge to day-to-day practice.
Marked differences can be seen in the use of education controlling in the respective company size classes. For example, some 85% of large companies (more than 500 employees) use education controlling extensively or in part. This figure is just 45% among very small enterprises (fewer than ten employees). According to the BIBB study, one reason for this is that education controlling requires personnel and financial resources which small enterprises (fewer then 50 employees) seldom have available.
The gap between large and small enterprises also grew in the years between 1997 and 2007. During this time, the importance and use of education controlling in large companies increased by more than 20 percentage points and in the case of medium-sized companies (50 - 499 employees) by more than ten percentage points. By contrast, this figure either remained steady or fell slightly among small enterprises.
The most important instrument in education controlling is the recording of continuing training costs. Use of this instrument grew by some eight percentage points across all company size classes between 1997 and 2007. The BIBB study shows that small enterprises have considerably more interest in a good cost-benefit balance than medium-sized and large companies do. One reason for this is that it is easier for small enterprises to observe and assess the benefits of continuing vocational training activities due to their smaller size which leads to closer and more personal relations between employer and employee.
As the BIBB study points out however, the stagnation seen in the use of education controlling in small enterprises should not be interpreted as a sign of a lack of interest. It is primarily for practical reasons that some companies use just some elements of education controlling: Implementing the entire controlling cycle on a comprehensive basis demands too much - in financial and organisational terms - of small enterprises in particular. It is precisely these companies that would consequently like to see more education controlling concepts that are selective and pin-pointed and could also be combined with external training guidance services.
Further information on the findings of this study is available in the latest issue of BIBB REPORT "'Education controlling' - An important issue, particularly for large enterprises " (Issue 13/09). This issue can be downloaded free of charge from the BIBB website at www.bibb.de/bibbreport .
Point of contact at BIBB for further information:
Dr Bernd Käpplinger, Tel.: +49 (0)228 107-2601; E-mail: kaepplinger@bibb.de
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