HMRC are unaware of the annual total they invest in developing staff members' skills, or if the money is being spent in the right places, according to the National Audit Office (NAO), but the taxman is doing much to ensure employees have the necessary expertise to do their jobs.
In a new report, Core Skills at HM Revenue & Customs, the NAO estimates the Revenue spent £96.5 million on staff training during 2010/11, at an average cost of £1,419 per head, in recognition of the fact the department faces considerable challenges in delivering its plan to improve services for taxpayers and in significantly by 2014/15 while increasing tax takings.
HMRC have identified as a significant risk the lack of employees in the appropriate places and with the right abilities – but the taxman does not have a strategic approach to investment in skills: there is no understanding of the scale of the outlay or if it is being spent in the correct places.
According to the NAO’s document, which looks at whether the Revenue is achieving value for money from its financial speculation on forms of training including coaching, mentoring and online guidance, the department does not know its current skills gaps or gain an early warning of future gaps at the level of the organisation as a whole.
The Revenue’s most recent staff survey showed 79% believe they have the skills they need to do their job effectively – but only 54% are able to access the required learning and development opportunities, while just 38% say training has improved their performance.
Nevertheless, the taxman is addressing investment in skills in some key business areas, management of workers' IT capabilities being one of them, and there is evidence of learning programmes being retooled to address new priorities.
The NAO’s head, Amyas Morse, remarked, ‘Although the department is doing much to make sure it has the skills it requires, it needs a more systematic approach, where spending on skills is linked explicitly to the organisation’s overall business objectives and a vision of how it should look in the future.’
