LAST week the government launched a new campaign to raise awareness of new rights giving 16 to18-year-olds paid time off work for study or training.

This new legislation, set to come into force on September 1, requires firms to allow young workers paid training time to achieve a level 2 qualification.

Chambers of commerce believe this is a positive step towards improving the UK's skills base, however the legislation alone will not be sufficient to motivate young people towards achieving level 2 qualifications.

Employers will have a critical role to play in encouraging young people to take up their entitlement and, we believe they will only do so if the study is related to the employee's current job.

Terry Houlihan training services manager at Southampton & Fareham Chamber of Commerce said: "While we welcome the flexible approach to the new entitlement, young people will need to be sufficiently motivated to ask for time off for study.

"Full employer co-operation will only be secured if eligible training is restricted to work-related courses. Training tomorrow's workforce must be compatible with meeting skills needs in today's workplace.

"Chambers of commerce will play a crucial role in ensuring employers make best use of the support available to them.

"As many chambers deliver on-site work-based training already, they are well accustomed to matching the training needs of employers and young people.''

The chamber also believes that: Efforts must be made to raise employers' awareness of the role that they must now play in enhancing the skills of 16-18- year olds.

Many employers may not be aware that they are -currently entitled to subsidised and -supported training under Youth Training (YT).

There should be a genuine shift away from the "YT for the under-achievers banner" and more towards an employer-led training approach for employed people.

In order to fulfil the needs of employers, there should be some flexibility on the qualifications permitted under the entitlement to study/train. Employers may prefer a route other than NVQ/GCSE training. Matching equivalent qualifications to NVQ/GCSE may cause problems, but training in the workplace must be employer-led. Employers should be acknowledged for fulfilling their role in training 16 to 18-year-olds with a kind of "Investors in Young People" kitemark/certificate. A code of practice should be developed to help employers and young people become aware of their responsibilities.

This code of practice should, for example, clarify how to deal with the question of time off for NVQ assignments and assessment.

A good practice guide could also be attached to the code of practice, giving employers examples of how to implement the right to train/study in their company.

For more information on the opportunities for both young people and business call the youth training department on 01703 223530.

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