Bursary recipient David Crook, foreground, with CGi director Peter Budwin

MORE businesses should fund employees who want to obtain higher-education qualifications, according to the Confederation of Guernsey Industry. Director Peter Budwin said most Guernsey employers could do more to help staff with the costs.

‘I know that some banks already pay for their employees to get certain qualifications, but more could be done by the wider business community in Guernsey. The issue of staff retention is currently a prevalent one and this could go a long way to addressing that as well.’

The CGi makes a bursary scheme available every two years for an employee of a member company to obtain a master’s in business administration through the GTA University Centre.

‘If the States stops student grants and goes to loans, there are likely to be more people wanting to gain university qualifications on-island so employers should get more involved,’ said Mr Budwin. ‘We need to make sure that we’re continually enhancing the skills of the island’s workforce.’