Council pledges to rectify skills deficiency

Figures that show that almost a third of all British workers receive no formal training from their employers have been condemned as a "national disgrace" by Bryan Sanderson, chairman of the new Learning and Skills Council.

Mr Sanderson said that the council, which takes over responsibility for all post-16 education and training from April, will work with business to get a "no train, no gain" message through to those employers who provide no training opportunities for staff.

Addressing a Small Business Service conference in Birmingham, Mr Sanderson said figures showed that 31 per cent of all British workers have had no formal training opportunities offered at work. A quarter of British adults have had no training in the past three years and 5.7 million adults of working age have no qualifications at all.