Skills assessments ''aid retention strategies''

Organisations hiring project workers could find that a skills audit aids the retention of these staff for use in other areas of the business.

Chartered Management Institute spokesman Mike Petrook said many employers are focusing primarily on the abilities these types of workers can bring to one project and then looking at how they can be best deployed afterwards.

"[This] is clearly a good thing for an organisation''s development and also for staff learning new skills and gaining new experiences," he remarked.

Mr Petrook made his remarks following a recent report by Capita Learning and Development, which found that 70 per cent of business leaders fear skills shortages could hamper their recovery from the recession.

Some 40 per cent of those polled believe a lack of training could lead to at least half of their workforce''s skills becoming obsolete, a factor which could damage retention rates.

Senior decision makers at 500 companies were surveyed to generate the data. Back