Training and study at work: your rights
Employer's decision and responsibilities
The employer has 28 days to:
- accept the request
- hold a meeting with the employee to discuss it
This might be longer if the person who deals with these requests is off when the request is sent in.
The employee can take a trade union representative or colleague to the meeting. They can ask for the meeting to be postponed if this person can’t make it.
If the employer decides to hold a meeting about it they must make a decision within 14 days of it, unless the employee agrees in writing to extend this time.
Turning down the request
The employer can only turn down a request if:
- the training would not benefit their business
- they would run up extra costs for the business
- they would not be able to meet customer demands
- they cannot re-organise the work among other members of staff
- they cannot recruit extra staff
- it would damage quality and business performance
- there would not be enough work for the employee to do at the times they intend to work
- it conflicts with planned structural changes
Paying for the training
The employer doesn’t have to pay for the training or study. They can choose to pay all or part of the fees if they think it will benefit the business.