Government confirms study or training requests will not be extended to all employees

The Government has announced that it will not be extending the statutory right to make a request in relation to study or training to all employees as planned. 

The announcement was made by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) as part of the Growth Review, which will include a range of measures to allow businesses to grow. 

In February 2011, the Government indicated that the right might not be extended to small businesses when it delayed the extension, which was due to come into effect on 6 April 2011. BIS referred to "the need to minimise the burden of regulation for smaller companies". 

The statutory right to make a request in relation to study or training has been available to employees in organisations with 250 or more employees since it was introduced on 6 April 2010. This right will remain in force. Qualifying employees can make a request to their employer for the purpose of enabling them to undertake study or training. This is not limited to requests for time off for training, but could include, for example, a request for the employer to fund training or to provide in-house training. Employers are not obliged to agree to requests but must give them serious consideration through a prescribed procedure set out in the legislation. To qualify for the right, an employee must have been employed continuously by the employer for at least 26 weeks. 

  • Government bins business red tape The announcement of the decision not to extend the right to make a request in relation to study or training can be read on the News Distribution Service website. 

Also

Time to train? Consultation on the future of the right to request time to train policy (PDF format, 115K)(on the BIS website) Read the coalition Government's original consultation which sought views on whether it should repeal the statutory right to make a request in relation to study or training, keep it in its current form (applying only to employees in organisations with 250 or more employees), extend it to all employees, or amend it to reduce the burden on employers. 

How to manage requests under the right to make a request in relation to study or training The XpertHR "how to" service provides guidance on the issues to be taken into account when responding to requests in relation to study or training. 

Statutory requests in relation to study or training The XpertHR "how to" service provides guidance on the issues to be taken into account when responding to requests in relation to study or training.