Finding a job that offers training in the form of further education (FE) is a tough task, but can lead to increased prospects.

According to research commission by the Learning and Skills Council, 87 percent of companies that use FE claim it benefited their business and 45 per cent of companies using FE claimed it increased productivity. However, 82 percent do not immediately associate FE with vocational training and just 43 percent make use of it.

The YouGov research, examined the training policies of nearly 900 companies. It indicates that while FE training leads to benefits business by having more highly trained workers, less than half use it and the majority do not think of FE as offering vocational training for the workplace.

Ray Dowd, of the LSC, explained that "FE colleges need to get more businesses to take advantage of the training they provide and that means closer relationships and clearer marketing. Colleges need to get better at speaking the language of business and that means talking about how training increases productivity and profitability as well as giving learners a qualification."

"It seems that those companies that are aware of the range of courses available are securing a competitive advantage over those that do not use FE colleges by getting free or low cost training that benefits their business through increased productivity, profitability and employee satisfaction."

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