The Government is consulting on whether it should repeal the statutory right to make a request in relation to study or training, keep it in its current form, extend it as planned in April 2011, or amend it to reduce the burden on employers. 

Bathroom supplier Ideal Standard has created a branded in-house management training programme that has earned itself a strong reputation within the company and helped transform the organisation's culture. IRS examines how it is being implemented.

Additions to the FAQs section cover: good practice relating to annual leave; requests in relation to study or training; and contractual paternity pay. 

We answer some FAQs on the new statutory right to make a request in relation to study or training. 

The Metropolitan Police Service has radically reduced absence - from 10.3 days per officer a year to 6.8 days - by introducing an innovative series of training initiatives targeted at specific employee groups, including firearms officers. 

Employers are not obliged to pay employees for time off for study or training, or to meet course fees, under the study or training request provisions, as our case study demonstrates. 

Employers must follow a statutory procedure if they receive a qualifying request in relation to study or training, as our topic of the week article explains. 

Take part in our survey on competencies and receive a complimentary copy of the report when it becomes available, as well as a free copy of the IRS HR roles and responsibilities report immediately after you complete the survey.

Line managers are frequently expected to perform challenging people management tasks without any relevant training, according to 2010 benchmarking research from IRS for XpertHR. 

On this week's XpertHR Weekly: guidance on the practical implications of the recent Court of Appeal decision on indirect religious discrimination in McFarlane v Relate Avon Ltd and the 2010 IRS line manager training survey, which looked at how UK employers deliver people management training, what it covers, how organisations are improving training, and the link between training and line manager effectiveness. 

In this second part of our two-part study, we report on how UK employers deliver people management training, what skills it covers, and how organisations are increasing its effectiveness.

This first part of the 2010 IRS survey on people management development reveals significant gaps in its coverage, and a broad consensus among HR professionals that line manager training should be compulsory. 

New rights for employees to request flexible working hours for training came into effect on 6 April 2010. But many employers are still unaware of the changes, says Personnel Today. 

On this week's XpertHR Weekly, we focus exclusively on the employment law changes that came into force on 6 April 2010. We deal with: the right to additional paternity leave; the right to make a request in relation to study or training; public interest disclosure claims and tribunal procedure; data protection breaches and the issue of monetary penalties; and anti-slavery laws. 

On this week's XpertHR Weekly: injury to feelings and health awards in discrimination cases and discussion of the recent Employment Appeal Tribunal decision in Taylor v XLN Telecom and others EAT/0385/09; the limits of the right to make a request in relation to study and training, which comes into force on 6 April 2010; and the calculation of holiday pay in the aviation sector. 

From 6 April 2010, employees in organisations with at least 250 employees will be able to make a request in relation to study or training and will be entitled to a meeting with their employer to discuss the request, and to be given reasons for any refusal. In this article we look in detail at the legal requirements surrounding this deceptively simple principle.

A model form and letters on the statutory right to make a request in relation to study or training have been added to the XpertHR policies and documents section, in advance of the legislation coming into effect on 6 April 2010. 

Additions to the FAQs section cover new legislation coming into force on 6 April 2010: the introduction of the "fit note" system; the new statutory right to make a request in relation to study or training; and entitlement to additional paternity leave.

A right for employees to make a request in relation to study or training, for example to request time off for training, is introduced from 6 April 2010. 

New benchmarking data on employers' use of training evaluation methods has been added to the XpertHR benchmarking service.