The government's plans to make it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to not be either in training or in education could have a significant impact upon small businesses, it has been claimed.
Simon Briault, a spokesperson for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said that the move would mean employers would have to offer accredited training or allow for workers to be away from the business for one day a week.
"For a small employer who employs four or five people, having somebody away from work for more than one day a week - that's a quarter of the workforce," Mr Briault commented.
Employers are likely to get their existing training accredited to enable them to keep employees on site to continue "learning on the job", he added.
According to figures produced by the Confederation of British Industry, UK-based firms spent £33 billion on staff training last year, yet less than half of UK employees have formal qualifications such as NVQs.
