Employers in York could be missing out on a workforce with valuable new skills as research reveals local employees feel they have no time to invest in their training.

The warning comes in the run up to Adult Learners Week, which starts on Monday, as a survey highlights that more than a third (34 per cent) of people in the city believe a training course would be difficult to fit around work hours.

The findings by Yorkshire First Training also show that a further 41 per cent of people who responded think the cost involved would be too high.

Meanwhile, eight out of ten (79 per cent) employees in the city admit that even if they did want to increase their skills, they would be unsure of how to go about achieving their aims and ambitions.

John Dishman, of the not-for-profit Yorkshire First Training, said: "We were surprised at how many people think taking up training is harder than it really is.

"Training is clearly valuable to employees in York, with 41 per cent saying more training means a better salary in the long run, compared to 29 per cent in the south east of England.

"However, these people clearly feel they are being prevented from achieving their goals due to perceived barriers such as location, lack of available information and cost."

Yorkshire First Training provides a range of training courses, which can help overcome problems such as lack of time, location and financial difficulties.

The research also found that four-in-ten York employees were interested in going on a training course, especially if financial help was available. A third said they would be more inclined to take up training if the course was local and easy to travel to.

Mr Dishman said: "Yorkshire First Training offers a flexible, bespoke range of training courses to suit both employee and employer needs, which are easy to fit around work.

"Because we are part of Leeds Metropolitan University and are a not-for-profit organisation, we are able to access a variety of external funding, including support from the European Social Fund.

"This means we can offer places on our university certificate courses to Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) at subsidised rates or completely free of charge.

"Individuals can also benefit from funding, depending on their personal circumstances."

Yorkshire First Training was highly commended at the 2004 National Training Awards for its excellent results with local businesses.

Updated: 11:11 Friday, May 20, 2005