The CBI has defended business involvement with the Train to Gain government initiative after skills minister John Denham's comments today, as he revealed the consultation paper on the right to training time.

Mr Denham said: "We have still not persuaded every employer of the importance of skills. A third of employers still don't train their staff. In other organisations training does not involve everyone. The employers who do not train run real risks with their businesses. Public services who do not train will struggle to provide the quality of service that the taxpayer expects."

John Cridland, CBI deputy director-general, commented: “Businesses invest nearly £39bn a year upskilling their staff and recognise that a skilled workforce is essential to staying competitive, especially as the economy enters a more difficult phase.

“Many employers have already benefitted from Train to Gain, seeing improvements in company performance and higher staff morale.

“But Train to Gain isn’t the finished article. Where employers haven’t fully used the funding available, it’s often because of issues around the relevance of the qualifications on offer to firms, too much red tape, patchy brokerage quality and a need for more flexibility.

“These issues need to be ironed out so that employers can help staff reach their full potential, and even more firms get involved with Train to Gain.”