The TUC is calling on government to target the 40% of employers who do not offer training to their staff.

The Paid Time off to Learn report highlights the crucial role a new national training programme will play in encouraging employers to offer training to their employees. However, it warns that the 40% of employers who currently offer no training must be targeted.

The TUC report recognises that the recent announcement to roll out the Employer Training Pilots (ETP) will help the Government meet its target of increasing the number of workers with skills equivalent to five good GCSEs (A-C grades).

However the TUC is warning that the Government cannot simply rely on the good faith of employers to deliver training for the three million workers it wants trained up to this level by the end of the decade.

Deputy general secretary, Frances O'Grady, said: "Currently, the UK lags behind the rest of Europe in terms of training at work. The TUC has given strong support to the ETP pilot schemes and has long been campaigning for a national roll-out.

"However, the ETP scheme must reach out to those employers who currently do not offer any training, particularly smaller businesses. There is a clear need for a new right to paid time off to ensure that no worker with these skills gaps is missing out on the training opportunities now available to them."