(From peoplemanagement.co.uk) Shorter training courses are the answer to making the most efficient use of training budgets during the recession, according to toolmaker Black & Decker.

The company has introduced two-hour "Learning Bite" courses to get more immediate results. Jenny Daley, learning and development project manager, said it was a more "creative" way to use the training budget.

Learning Bites offers sessions led by senior company business champions who give workers support with practical skills. While Daley said it was too early to see monetary results, she said they were working on a measurement system to gauge the effects.

Daley said: "The scheme would have had its place regardless of what's going on in the economy, because it's logistically easier to do, and new session topics can be drawn up and rolled out really quickly. The courses are easier to set up because they are two-hours long, so they can be completed over a lunchtime or included as part of a longer meeting. Its flexibility is an advantage."