The majority of employees would be willing to fund their own training, a survey has revealed.

Research carried out by Middlesex University’s Institute for Work Based Learning over four years showed that seventy percent of those surveyed would be willing to pay for training, with the recession having little impact on people’s desire to train.

Eighty percent also said that they would be willing to spend time on learning and development at home.

Professor Simon Roodhouse, of the institute, said: “We were interested to discover that so many people are willing to contribute financially to their training.

“While they would prefer to develop their skills at work, many are open to learning at home.”

The survey also showed that most people’s preferred choice of training was a short course leading to an accredited qualification.

The survey also reassured employers who worried that training their employees might make them more likely to leave – 51 percent said that their main reason for training was to be more valued in their current role, with only 23 percent seeking development to help them change jobs.