Three quarters of the public believes that employers who fail to train their workforce properly should be fined by the Government, according to a new survey.

And six people in ten say that people cannot depend on employers to take responsibility for improving skills, according to a survey released by the Association of Colleges (AoC).

"People do not trust their employer to improve their skills," said Dr John Brennan, AoC chief executive. "They feel so strongly about this that they believe Government should fine those companies who fail to train their workforce properly."

However the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) questioned the value of having a regulatory approach to training.

CIPD training, learning and development adviser Victoria Gill said: "We wouldn't support this idea. We want to encourage people to look at training in terms of their business needs rather than ticking a box to say we sent x many people on a training course. There is more to learning and development than simply sending people on training courses."

The survey, of more than 2000 people, also shows that 63 per cent of people believe that they will need to upgrade their skills in the next few years to protect their income and job prospects.

"These figures show that the public has got the message about the importance of upskilling," said Dr Brennan. "For us it is a matter of great concern that at the same time expectations are rising, the Government's funding policy is failing to meet that demand."

The survey coincides with the AoC's annual conference, in Birmingham this week, from Monday until Thursday. The full results of the survey are available at the AoC website.