Home > News > December 2004 > 15-Dec-2004

More employers must train warns TUC

According to a new report from the TUC, a new national training programme will play a crucial role in encouraging employers to offer training to their employees. However, the ‘Paid time off to learn' report warns that the 40 per cent of employers who currently offer no training must be targeted.

The TUC report recognises that the recent announcement to roll out the Employer Training Pilots (ETP) will help the Government meet their target of increasing the number of workers with skills equivalent to five good GCSEs. However the TUC is warning that the Government cannot simply rely on the good faith of employers to deliver training for the three million workers it wants trained up to this level by the end of the decade.

TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O'Grady said: "Currently the UK lags behind the rest of Europe in terms of training at work. The TUC has given strong support to the ETP pilot schemes and has long been campaigning for a national roll out.

"However, the ETP scheme must reach out to those employers who currently do not offer any training, particularly smaller businesses. There is a clear need for a new right to paid time off to ensure that no worker with these skills gaps is missing out on the training opportunities now available to them."

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