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Government should 'recognise on-the-job training'

Small businesses are not gaining the recognition they need when it comes to workplace training, a business lobby group has said. The comments, by the Federation of Small Business (FSB), came after secretary of state for innovation, universities and skills John Denham launched an enquiry into whether employees should be given the right to request time to train.

The organisation said while it welcomes the focus on improving skills, it should be easier for small business owners to have the work-based training they already offer to be formally recognised. The group added that in a survey of around 20,000 small businesses, more than three quarters said they already offer some form of formal training.

Colin Willman, the FSB’s education and skills chairman, said: “We support the government’s efforts to get more people into training, but employers should have the final say based on the needs of the business.

“The government could certainly do a lot more to make it easier for small employers to get the on-the-job training they already offer accredited. At the moment the process is too expensive and too bureaucratic for many small businesses to cope with. The vast majority of businesses do not have an HR department to handle these issues.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .