25 million will train to gain

Some twenty five million employees are set to benefit from a new right to request time at work to undertake training, thanks to a new Bill in the Queen's Speech.

The Bill will give each employee the right to request relevant training they need to improve their skills and to have these requests properly considered by their employer.

Ministers believe such a measure will be a powerful lever to ensure British businesses and individuals get the skills they need to emerge stronger after the economic downturn.

Skills Secretary John Denham, who led the initiative, has argued the legislation will give many workers their first proper chance to have a serious discussion with their managers about their training needs.

Research suggests that currently one third of employers do not train their staff and eight million received no kind of training last year.

But Ministers are also determined to ensure that the new right will not be a burden to business so the proposals should fit with what the best employers are already doing while encouraging others to follow those good examples.

Skills Secretary John Denham said: "Businesses that invest in skills and training are far more likely to succeed and weather the downturn. Research last year showed firms that don't train are two and half times more likely to fail than those that do."

Under the new measure requests could be to undertake accredited courses that lead to a qualification or for unaccredited training.

Employers would be required to consider seriously the requests they receive, using the same sort of processes they have in place to manage requests for flexible working. The right relates to skills which are relevant to the employee's job. The right will encourage more employers to organise good employee review processes in which training needs are discussed.

Deputy Director-General of the CBI, John Cridland, said: "Employers invest £39bn every year in staff training and regularly discuss skills and training needs with their employees. We need a stronger skills base and a more competitive economy, and so these proposals must ensure that employers only accept requests for business-relevant training."

Words: Clare Riley

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