U-turn on right to request training

The government has announced that the right to request training will not be extended from April to employees of small and medium-sizes businesses (SMEs).

The right for employees to request time for training to improve their skills has been available to employees of large organisations with 250 or more employees since April 2010. However, following a recent consultation covering a wide range of businesses and employee groups, ministers are taking further time to examine the potential impact of the regulation on smaller firms.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber expressed union disappointment, saying: “This u-turn is a setback for all those who have argued for a skills-driven growth strategy. With a third of employers not providing any training to staff, and SMEs less likely than bigger firms to encourage new skills, this right is just the lever needed to get more people learning at work.”