From 6 April this year, employees working for companies with more than 250 employees can request time off work to train or study. These new rules will apply to all companies in 2011.
The new rules – The Employee Study and Training Regulations 2010 – allow employees the right to request time off work to undergo training or to study and to have their request properly considered in line with a statutory procedure.
The rules do not give an absolute right to take time off for training, merely the right to request it and have that request properly considered and in the event a request is granted, there is no requirement for employers to pay employees during the time off or to pay for the training.