Employees 'need more access to training'Training needs to be made more accessible to both employers and employees in order to ensure that all Britons have the qualifications necessary to secure them work in the future, one sector commentator has claimed.

Will Cookson, head of skills at Working Links, said that by 2020, it has been predicted that 85 per cent of all jobs will require a minimum of a Level 3 qualification – which is equivalent to an A or AS level – but currently 30 per cent of the UK’s workforce does not have Level 2.

This is equal to five GCSEs at an A to C grade.

"So we recognise that more needs to be done to make education, including post-employment training, more accessible to both employees and employers," Mr Cookson urged.

He added that the personal acquisition of skills is a "fundamental enabler" for individual development, as well as the UK’s recovery from the recession.

Mr Cookson made his comments as the Department for Children, Schools and Families found that there are at least 4.75 million students studying in further education colleges and training.

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