A new initiative to give workers the right to request time off for training could have a positive impact on interim managers and other temporary workers.
According to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), employers will still need to consider using the option of temporary workers while permanent staff take time out for additional training.
Responding to the announcement of a consultation paper on how 22 million workers will be able to use a new legal right to request time for training, the REC's head of public policy, Anne Fairweather, said the proposals will help employees reach their fullest potential within their places of work.
However, with 300,000 people predicted annually to ask for such skills training, said Fairweather. She believes many employers will have to look to temporary or agency workers to cover these absences, she explained.
It is vital that the government protects the viability of the UK temp worker model and any introduction of extra flexibility for workers needs to be matched equally with a flexible option for employers.
She added that the government needs to consider this matter seriously when implementing the Agency Workers Directive.
The government's Time to Train consultation is open to all employers and employees in England, with a closing date of September 10.