Small firms are increasingly recognising the benefits of allowing their staff to take time off for training, it has been claimed.
According to Vanessa Robinson, a research adviser with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, gap years are no longer something reserved for teenagers.
She said: "It makes sense for the employer to say 'yes that's ok, we'll give you that time as unpaid leave because we value you and it's better for us that you come back in six months and work with us again than having to recruit somebody new'."
Firms that are looking for graduates of the highest calibre will have to accept that they are likely to want to take time off for training in future, she added.
Recently, the government announced that firms will be required to seriously consider a request from someone who asks for a break from work to undertake training.
However, companies will not have to agree to the request and can turn it down if there is a good business reason for doing so.
