Employers and the government are failing Britain’s workers by denying them paid time off to improve their skills, according to a TUC survey of 800 union learning reps.
The report, Making a Real Difference, reveals that 46% of reps said lack of access to paid time off was the biggest barrier to training facing workers.
A further 12% cited long working hours as the main obstacle to taking up training.
In respect of their own role, 43% of reps said that lack of time off was the main barrier, while another 17% referred to the problem of long working hours, the survey showed.
Liz Smith, director of the TUC’s learning and skills organisation Unionlearn, said: “We need new legal rights to paid time off to train. Such rights are especially important for those without a qualification at the standard expected of school leavers.
“And unions should have the right to request that in workplaces with union learning reps, employers should enter into a ‘learning agreement’ with unions, and establish a workplace learning committee.”
The Department of Education and Science said that efforts were being made to boost workplace skills.
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“That is why the national employer training programme Train to Gain, launched this year, means individuals are released by employers to undertake the training they need,” a spokesman said.
