From 6 April 2010, approximately 11 million employees in Great Britain will have a new right to request 'time to train'. This will be extended to cover employees in all businesses from 6 April 2011. Team Agility have developed the Team Agility programme that enables team development at work, maximising productivity and minimising time away from core responsibilities.

Employees' requests can be to undertake accredited programmes leading to a qualification, or for unaccredited training to help them develop specific skills relevant to their job, workplace or business. While employee requests may involve agreeing time away from their duties, the primary focus of the new right is about agreeing relevant training with your staff.

Employers are required to consider any requests and respond within a set timeframe. They can turn down requests when there is a good business reason to do so, including where the employer does not believe the training will help improve business performance. The new right closely follows the model used for agreeing requests under the flexible working arrangements.

Employee eligibility criteria for time to train

The right to request time to train will apply to all employees in businesses with 250 employees or more from 6th April 2010. It will be extended to cover employees in all businesses from 6th April 2011. However, not all training requests have to be made using the time to train request. Where good workplace dialogue and training systems are already in place, these can continue to be the route to request training.

To make a request for time to train an individual must:

• be an employee
• have worked for you continuously for at least 26 weeks on the date they make their request

The following groups do not have the right to request time to train:

• agency workers
• members of the armed forces
• young people of compulsory school age (or, in Scotland, school age)
• young people who already have a statutory right to paid time off to undertake study or training (under section 63A of the Employment Rights Act 1996)
• 16 or 17 year olds who are already under a duty to participate in education or training as a result of Part 1 of the Education and Skills Act 2008
• 18 year olds who are treated as if Part 1 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 applies to them

You can find the full article on the new Right to Train at the business Link website here

The Team Agility is a new approach to developing teams that will help with the new legislation, because the Team Agility programme can be completed at work, with minimal time away from normal duties. Contact us to arrange a no obligation discussion to see how the Team Agility p[rogramme could be used in your organisation.