Unpaid training at work

[AmazonAmazine]

What’s your attitude to work offering unpaid training opportunities? Other than actual qualifications, more general cpd stuff. Outside hourly paid work hours, not linked to progression opportunities or pay- but moderately useful.
aibu- great, it helps me improve my work/ makes it easier for me to do my role
ainbu-nope, if they want highly trained staff they pay to develop them. I can find the info elsewhere or ask if I really need it
(I’m not the employer!)

They want, they pay.

Great if it meant I was more employable, then I could use the qualifications I’d taken to get a higher paid job somewhere else, if it’s not going to lead to progression within the organisation. But isn’t that why a lot of employers decide to restrict what training is offered/how it is done?

Just thinking outside the box, if I could get a free degree/masters/PhD from an employer that would be a super perk and might lead to some kind of loyalty to the employer.

Sounds OK to me.

I'm an NHS doctor, I had to pay several thousand £s to do just the essential courses and exams that were part of my 'training'...

Now I'm a consultant, it's much better, generally under £1000 per year to do mandatory CPD.

I'm very happy if it's a genuine offer of opportunities, if they're trying to insist or fill up my own time by stealth then they can jog on

Not a job with the progression of a surgeon! More hourly paid, no particular path of progression

I’m a fan of training opportunities. I’m currently doing the ICDL at work. I don’t need to but it’s a good skills refresher and will be helpful on my C.V when I move on.

Mandatory training to do your job should be paid. Nice to have training/ opportunities don’t need to be if you have a choice about whether or not to do them.

I guess what you’re suggesting is offering education to people who do a menial low skilled job that isn’t a career as such, just a job to earn a low salary? I’m guessing this would be a way to recruit and retain staff, if you offered training for their future? It keeps people sweet for a few years while they do their free undergrad or something then they move on somewhere else with no debt when they’re ready?

I'm an employer (small business owner). If I want my team to learn something new, I expect to pay them while they're learning it (i.e. they do it in work time). I don't ask my team to do anything unpaid. Overtime = paid. Training = paid. Their time is valuable.

Actually, there is one thing I ask them to do unpaid. We all work remotely and try to meet up for dinner once a month-ish. The business pays for dinner, but I don't pay them to be there 😂It's totally optional though, of course. Absolutely no hard feelings if they're busy or whatever.

If there’s an obvious benefit to me no problem

Not menial. Just a specific reasonably paid role, done by educated people due its nature. Job specific, not really transferable beyond sideways moves. Not linked to any qualifications, vocational or otherwise. More company specific training and very role specific.

Job specific, not really transferable beyond sideways moves. Not linked to any qualifications, vocational or otherwise. More company specific training and very role specific.

I don't see why anyone would choose to do that if they weren't being paid. If an employer wants you to do specific training then of course they pay you.

Personally I can’t see myself doing training that doesn’t lead to any personal or professional gain in my own free time. I’d expect others to be the same.

My job offers unpaid training that is very specific to the job and isn’t really optional. There are multiple sessions a month. It’s incredibly annoying, but there are other advantages to the job so it isn’t worth quitting over. I’ve also been there long enough, over 20 years, and they are dependent enough on me, that they can’t fire me over the fact that I now only attend a subset of the sessions that I think will actually be highly useful. When I was younger I just had to go to all of them.

I’ve also been there long enough, over 20 years, and they are dependent enough on me, that they can’t fire me over the fact that I now only attend a subset of the sessions

They can't fire you for not doing volunteer work for them at all.

If it’s not mandatory I don’t see the problem. If the employer is paying for the training they are offering you a perk. I think most people do the non manadatory stuff outside of work time