Young people to benefit from new training rights at work

The Education and Skills Act 2008 received Royal Assent yesterday (26 November). Its provisions aim to "reform the British educational system in order to keep up with the growing requirement for highly skilled and highly knowledgeable workers". 

The Act will require 16- and 17-year-olds who leave education without achieving a certain level of qualification to participate in accredited training.

For employers, it contains a new obligation to allow 16 and 17 year old employees the equivalent of one day a week off to undertake training (which may be accredited training provided by the employer) and a new duty not to employ such individuals if they have not made appropriate training arrangements.

The new duty to participate post 16 will not start to come into force until 2013 and there are many details still to be specified in regulations and guidance.

Note that another Education and Skills Bill, expected in the next parliamentary session, will amongst other things, reform apprenticeship to make it an alternative to staying on at school or college.

The new rights and obligations contained within the Education and Skills Act 2008 should not be confused with the Government’s proposal to give employees in England the right to request time off for skills training once they have worked for their employer for 26 weeks and for the employer to consider such requests seriously.

The Government expects to implement this right in 2010.

Note that young people aged 16- and 17- (and some 18-year-olds) already have the right to take paid time off from full-time work for relevant training, depending on their existing qualifications.