The internet can help businesses provide skills and information to staff "much faster than before", say industry experts.

According to e-skills UK, the government licensed Sector Skills Council for the IT and telecoms industry, implementing e-learning can reduce training costs and "increase employee flexibility".

Laura Overton, director of e-learning at e-skills UK, said: "[Businesses are] much more likely to report tangible business benefits as a result of e-learning

"They [are] also much more likely to report positive staff morale and an increased take-up of learning in general within their organisation."

She added that "jobs are changing faster and faster" and businesses need to know how to keep people up-to-date with the latest information and skills.

A research project funded by the European Union and conduced by e-learn2work revealed that 89 per cent of businesses have an internet connection and most subscribe to broadband.

However, less than half of the businesses in this study said that they use computers as a tool for developing skills.

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