All in All,it’s Just Another Plaque on the Wall: The Incidence and Impact of the Investors in People Standard*

ABSTRACT The Investors in People Standard was introduced in 1991 in order to provide a national benchmark of training and development activity. This article, using data from the 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey ( Department for Trade and Industry, 1999 ), conducts five tests with regard to the incidence and impact of the Standard. The first test evaluates the types of workplace that have secured accreditation. The second and third tests compare the nature of training practice in accredited and non‐accredited workplaces, based on data from the WERS 98 main management survey and also the survey of employees. The fourth test evaluates the proportion of workplaces that have secured accreditation, yet are failing to engage in good practice. The final test evaluates the characteristics of workplaces that fall into this latter category. The results demonstrate considerable variation between different types of workplace with regard to the likelihood of accreditation having been secured. They also demonstrate that, on average, training practice is better in accredited workplaces than in non‐accredited workplaces, but a large minority of accredited workplaces are failing to engage in good practice. Among workplaces that have accreditation, smaller workplaces stand out in particular as failing to engage in good training practice.