During the next few days, companies in Niedersachsen are being asked to participate in the Niedersachsen Further Training Survey. The study serves to ascertain companies' further training needs and qualification requirements in order to draw appropriate conclusions for the design and configuration of offers in the field of further training measures and the financial backing of such schemes. The project is funded by the Niedersachsen Economics Ministry.

Businesses and companies can give their input online straight away, free of charge, quickly and simply via the Internet site of the Niedersachsen Further Training Panel (www.wepan.de). The survey results are also published there after each round of the survey has been evaluated.

One finding from an analysis of those questioned up to now has been, for example, that the further training offers should consist less in (workplace-remote) seminars and lectures, but should take on more workplace-oriented forms (e.g. specialised coaching or individual training). This can then result in a transfer of know-how that is more specific to concrete requirements. In the prevailing climate of economic crisis, small and medium-sized enterprises have dispensed with further training measures to a greater extent than larger firms. The reason for this is clear: problems in the area of financing that could only be absorbed to a partial degree by external funding measures.