Training in SMEs in the West Midlands region, the United Kingdom

This chapter provides a detailed look at the research undertaken in the West Midlands region of England. Following an introduction that includes a summary outline of current training-related policy direction in the United Kingdom, there is a discussion of the results obtained from the TSME survey, with a particular focus on barriers to training, and areas in which companies feel they need to most focus their training efforts. Investigation of small and medium sized enterprises’ (SMEs) participation in knowledge intensive service activities (KISA) and other informal training activities is next, as well as a study of the primary sources of informal training for SMEs. Finally, implications for policy development are outlined, including: the importance of contextualising training encouraging companies to seek growth via training utilise alternative frameworks to build and strengthen capacity and capabilities and the SMEs’ discussion of their need for government-based funding to support training activities.