Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF): evaluation

7. Employees Feedback

Summary

173 responses from employees were gathered in an online survey of employees undertaken as part of this evaluation between May 2022 and June 2002. The survey was administered using SNAP software for online questionnaires. The sample of employees was drawn from the employers taking part in the interviews who consented to share the employee survey link directly with their employees. It is important to note that many employees were not aware that the training they undertook was supported by the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF). Given the nature of the survey methodology and that the sample was small and self-selecting, the findings are not representative of the wider population of employees supported by the FWDF and cannot be generalised to all employees.

Most of the 173 employees responding to the survey agree that their employer takes staff training and workforce development seriously (85%), and almost 75% report their employer has a formal process for identifying training needs. The most highly rated aspects of the FWDF training reported by 165 employees are:

• The person delivering the training was knowledgeable and experienced (85%).
• The training was of a high quality (80%).
• The content of the training was useful (82%).
• I would access training from the same training provider in the future (79%).
• Mode of delivery was appropriate (79%).
• The training met my needs (79%).

A wide range of benefits are reported by the 173 employees responding (achieved to date or expected to achieve over the next year), with the most common being: increased knowledge (88%); further developed the skills I have (86%); and helped me to be more effective in my current role (75%). Three-quarters (75%) of employees taking part in the survey are interested in undertaking further training through the FWDF, with the most common subject areas identified: Leadership and Management, Coaching and Mentoring Skills, and Communication/Personal Skills. These largely match feedback from the employer telephone survey strand of this evaluation.

Employees generally report being more positive about remote/digital learning since COVID-19 (68% of 165 employee responses) – this is similar to the feedback of employers found in this evaluation. However, more employees note that their preference is for face-to-face training (58%) than for mixed modes of delivery (41%). This latter point is at odds with the employer survey, where employers currently highlight a very strong preference for blended models of training delivery going forward.

Where employees provide feedback on how the training could be improved in the future, the main points include (note: absolute numbers small so care is needed when interpreting this finding): the training could be more tailored/aligned with our workplace practice; more opportunities for learners to share knowledge and experience; more information prior to the course starting; and more short courses.

Introduction to employee survey

The employer survey included a question asking whether employers would be willing to help EKOS secure feedback from their employees supported by the FWDF, and their views on the best approach to doing this. A total of 117 employers were contacted via email by EKOS with an introductory email and survey link (online survey was hosted on SNAP). Some but not all employers indicated to EKOS that the survey had been issued to employees. The survey was open for responses between May and June 2022.

A total of 173 responses were received to the online survey from employees. Given the nature of the survey methodology, the findings are not representative of the wider population of employees supported by the FWDF and cannot be generalised to all employees. However they do provide an insight into the experiences and views of employees who participated from 37 unique organisations. Further, it is worth noting that a large proportion of employees were unaware that the training had been supported by the Fund (71%). This indicates a low level of awareness of the Fund among employees, and likely reflects how the training is communicated by employers.

However, it does provide a good snapshot of employees' views and experiences of the FWDF. Although recognised to be a small and self-selecting sample from a small number of organisations, it is also worth highlighted that this is the first time a survey of employees has been undertaken for the FWDF. Given the early stage at which the Fund was at, much of the primary research for the evaluation of the pilot year focussed on employers.

Note: not every employee answered every question. Base numbers therefore vary.

Employee profile

The main points on the profile of the 173 employees who responded to the online survey are:

• The majority of employees specified which company or organisation they work for (78%). This includes 37 unique companies/organisations.
• The most common areas where employees work are Glasgow (39%), Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire (15%) and Ayrshire (13%).
• Employees work across different types of company/organisation. The private sector is most common (41%), followed by the public sector (31%) and the third sector (27%).
• The most common sectors in which employees work are Sport and Leisure (26%) and Health and Social Care (26%).
• A large proportion of employees have worked with their employer for a long time – 61% have been employed six or more years with their employer.
• Employees are generally highly educated, with more than half having an undergraduate (37%) or postgraduate (21%) degree. Very few had no qualifications prior to accessing FWDF training (4%).

Equalities information for the 173 employees who responded to the survey include:

• Relatively few live in areas of deprivation – 12% live within the 20% most deprived areas.
• More than half of employees are women (57%).
• Just over one-quarter are older workers aged 50 or above (26%).
• Few are younger workers aged 18 to 24 years (4%).
• Few are disabled workers/people (1%).
• Few employees are from a minority ethnic group (3%).

Training needs

Almost three-quarters of 173 employees report that their employer has a formal process for staff appraisals that identifies training needs for personal development and career progression (73%). Only 18% report an informal approach.

The vast majority of 173 employees (85%) agree or strongly agree that their employer takes staff training and workforce development seriously. The qualitative feedback received from employees in the open text boxes of the survey highlights:

• There is an active process of review and continuous leaning.
• Continuous learning and development is built into their job role.
• There are many opportunities for training and workforce development.
• There is a culture of continuous learning and improvement in the company/organisation.

There are a few comments from employees responding to the online survey that disagree that their employer takes staff training and workforce development seriously. The feedback is that they have received limited training and/or that it is focussed on mandatory training rather than staff development.

Training undertaken

The key points from the employee survey about the training they participated in include:

• One-third (33%) of employees have undertaken multiple training courses through the FWDF (Base: 171 employees).
• Many employees report that they have most recently undertaken FWDF training in 2021/22 (60%) (Base: 171 employees).
• There is a relatively even split between those that have received accredited training (38%), those that have received non-accredited training (34%), and those that did not know (33%) (Base: 171 employees).
• The most common method of delivery is remotely via video conferencing (63%), followed by face-to face at the training providers premises (24%) (Base: 165 employees).
• Around half of the training courses lasted one day or less (52%) suggesting demand for short and bite-sized training (Base: 163 employees).
• The most common type of training provider is a college (67%), followed by independent training providers (18%) and the OUiS (11%). The remainder are unsure (11%). Note: some employees have participated in training delivered by more than one training provider (Base: 171 employees).

Employees responding to the survey reported that a wide range of training courses have been undertaken:

• Leadership and Management training was the most common (38%).
• This was followed by Health and Safety (27%), Communication/personal skills (16%), and Coaching and Mentoring (15%), Figure 7.1.

This aligns with the FWDF data review and feedback from our stakeholder consultations and employer survey (i.e. the same subject areas are identified).

Source: EKOS FWDF evaluation employee online SNAP survey.

Base: employee number = 165. Total number of employees responding was 173.

Multiple response question where employers could select more than one option and all that applied. Percentages may total more than 100% as a result.

Views on the training and training providers

Overall, the employees who responded to the survey are very positive about different aspects of the training with 86% satisfied or very satisfied with the overall training experience (Base: 167 employees).

Much of the qualitaitve feedback shared by employees in the open text responses of the survey provides praise for the trainer and the training course. Wider feedback emphasises the relevance of the training to their job and that the employee learned a lot from the training.

There are a small number of negative open comments on the training, and these can be summarised as follows:

• The training would have been better had it been delivered face-to-face.
• The training is felt to be too long and could have been shorter.
• Participants were at different levels which made it difficult for the training provider to pitch the training at the right level to meet everyone's needs.

Employees responding to the survey were asked whether they agree or disagree with a number of statements relating to the training.

High levels of "agreement" are reported for the following statements (Base: 165 employees):

• The person that delivered the training was knowledgeable and experienced (85%).
• The training was of a high quality (80%).
• The content of the training was useful (82%).
• I would access training from the same training provider in the future (79%).
• Mode of delivery was appropriate (79%).
• The training met my needs (79%).
• The training was pitched at the skill level I was looking for (77%).
• The length and time commitment of the training course(s) was/were about right (75%).

Employees generally report being more positive about remote/digital learning since COVID-19 (68%) (Base: 165 employees), which is similar to employer feedback.

However, more employee respondents note that their preference is for face-to-face training (58%) than for mixed modes of delivery (41%) (Base: 165 employees). This is at odds with the employer survey, where employers currently highlight a very strong preference for blended models of training delivery going forward.

There are only a small number of comments that provide further explanations for employees' ratings on the training.

Where positive feedback is provided by the employees who responded, this highlights the quality of the training and the flexibility offered by remote learning. Some of the negative comments provided by respondents echo points made earlier e.g. that course duration is too long, a preference for face-to-face delivery post COVID-19.

The most common areas for improvement identified in the employee survey, albeit not to any great extent given the small number of responses, included:

• The training could be more tailored/aligned with our workplace practice.
• There could be more opportunities for learners to share knowledge and experience.
• More information prior to the course starting.
• More short courses.

Employee benefits

The top three benefits employees reported (achieved to date or expected to achieve over the next year) are outlined in Figure 7.2 below.

Figure 7.2: Employee benefits

• Increased knowledge: (88%)
• Further developed the skills I have: (86%)
• Helped me to be more effective in current role: (75%)

Source: EKOS FWDF evaluation employee online survey using SNAP questionnaire online software.

Base: employee number 173. A total of 173 employees responded to the online survey.

Multiple response question where employers could select more than one option and all that applied. Percentages may total more than 100% as a result.

Positive unexpected outcomes reported by employees in this survey are:

• A better relationship and communication with colleagues.
• Positive impact on job performance.
• An increased positive attitude to my work.
• It has improved my career prospects.

Very few of the employees responding report any negative unexpected outcomes (5%). Where mentioned, this included: The knowledge gained was too academic and not applicable to my job; and the content of the training was too generic to be useful.

Other training

Over half of employees in this evaluation report that they have undertaken additional training since 2017/18 that had not been supported through the FWDF (59%) (Base: 169 employees). The remainder report they have not undertaken any further workforce development or they do not know (41%). Key points to note on these workforce development opportunities include that:

• A large proportion is internal training (69%). This is typically Health and Safety related, and Leadership and Management, as well as wider on-the-job and CPD training.
• External training is more likely to be accredited (42%) than non-accredited (30%). Similarly, this tends to be Health and Safety, and Leadership and Management related training.

Future training

Almost three-quarters of employees completing the survey in the evaluation express interest in undertaking further training through the FWDF (74%) (Base: 170 employees). Very few are not interested in further workforce development (3%), whilst 23% said they do not know.

The main subject areas identified for future training include: Leadership and Management (69%); Coaching and Mentoring Skills (50%); and Communication/Personal Skills (45%).