Training rights hit the buffers – for now
Employment Law & HR update - 8/7/2011
The right for employees to request “time off to train” from
their employers will not be extended to SMEs until 2015 at the
earliest, the Government has confirmed. In its response to a recent
consultation on the issue, the Government has concluded that
opinion on the subject is “extremely polarised” – but while there
is no strong appetite for the scheme to be extended, there is no
clear consensus that the current scheme should be dropped
altogether either.
The right to request time off to train was introduced in 2010
and applies to all employers with 250 or more staff. Employers do
not have to pay for the training requested, but they do have a duty
to consider requests, and to comply with a legal procedure when
they do so. The right was originally intended to be extended to
apply to all businesses from April this year, but was put on hold
by the incoming coalition government.
The right will continue to apply, as now, to employers with 250
or more employees, but will not be extended to SMEs until at least
2015.