Businesses are operating in tough economic times, with budgets being significantly cut during the current industry downturn.

When lowering costs is a key priority, learning and development budgets have historically been one of the first areas to take the hit, yet projects still need to be completed and delivered on time and to the highest possible standard.

Jee Ltd, a leading independent multi-discipline subsea engineering and training firm, recognised this and believed that, since unpredictable market conditions inevitably lead to cuts, flexible training options are essential to support continued learning.

Jenny Matthew, head of courses, said: “Despite the current climate, it should be remembered that investing in training and staff development is essential to ensure immediate and long-term business objectives are met, such as greater efficiencies in project delivery, as well as supporting professional career development.”

To help mitigate the issue of companies slashing training budgets, Jee has developed and applied a significant price promotion for its public and online subsea engineering training.

“We understand and sympathise that in tough market conditions training budgets are under strain, so to help alleviate this pressure, the team at Jee is consistently searching for flexible approaches to ensure investment in training and staff development continues to be a viable priority for our customers,” said Matthew.

“Through the development of adaptable blended learning programmes, and by offering up to 50% off public and online courses until the end of this month, we hope to encourage oil and gas companies to continue investing in the development of their people. This in turn will help to meet immediate or long-term objectives, and emphasise a company’s intention to nurture growth and create an environment where staff feel invested in and valued,” she said.

Developing staff and their capabilities helps to form a cohesiveness within a company that will strengthen the resilience required to overcome this downturn, according to a statement.

Continuous learning and development is beneficial to the individual being trained, the company he or she works for, and the industry as a whole, it said.

Training and people development should be a key part of a company’s overall strategy and rather than cutting deeply into training budgets, alternative cost-saving solutions should be considered.

“Businesses should see this downturn as an opportunity to look at the bigger business picture, take advantage of cost-effective training solutions and the  much needed ‘time to learn’ while the market has slowed. Ensuring that staff are at the top of their game to meet the needs and demands of a challenging market,” concluded Matthew. - TradeArabia News Service