Cautionover trainingcost

Jun 18 2008 Evening Gazette

TEES Valley chiefs have welcomed a Government initiative to help thousands more workers into training each year - but warn small firms may struggle to cope with the cost.

Under new proposals - which could see legislation in place by 2010 - up to 22 million workers in England will be able to use the new legal right to request time off work to learn new skills. The Government expects an extra 300,000 people a year to train for new skills.

Skills Minister John Denham has launched a consultation on how the new entitlement will work and has challenged employers to do more to upskill their workforce.

Tees companies have backed the proposals, claiming extra skills will be necessary to capitalise on multi-million pound projects in the process, offshore, oil and gas, infrastructure, nuclear and renewables sectors. But they also expressed fears that small firms’ workflow patterns and productivity could be jeopardised by a deluge of requests for time off.

Steve Guest, managing director of Wilton-based recruitment firm TechConsult UK - which supplies staff to the offshore, oil and gas and engineering sectors - said: “If people are acquiring new skills it can only be a good thing for local industries. Training is often the first thing that goes when firms are tightening their belts.

“There could be an impact on productivity if employees request time off simultaneously. But most bosses have a good grasp of staff training needs and will be able to manage the time accordingly.”

Martin Foster, operations manager at Stockton and Billingham-based vocational training provider NETA, said the flexibility of workplace learning schemes would help small businesses cope with the new initiative.

He said: “It’s up to the supply side of training to create flexible delivery systems that allow staff to access learning without it having a major impact on companies’ work patterns. The future of British industry depends on a skilled workforce, which will enable companies to remain competitive.”

The initiative will attempt to reverse the trend of an estimated one third of employers who do not train their staff and eight million employees who receive no kind of training at all.

It follows the recent launch of the Teesside-based National Skills Academy for the Process Industries, at which local apprentices questioned Mr Denham on the Government’s plans to improve skills levels and career prospects.

Bob Coxon, chairman of the North East Process Industry Cluster, said: “Even if the industry was simply to stand still, it would still need a massive increase in skills levels. To achieve the growth we need to change the face of our skills platform dramatically.”