ONE of the saddest consequences of any recession is the increase in the number of people who are laid off.

Almost all of those placed in this dreadful position will have acquired some skills at work, and many will be well-developed.

But it’s also an awful truth, that it’s easiest to get a job if you already have a job, and – conversely – the longer someone is on the dole queue the harder it is for them to get back into work.

They may be seen as “less attractive” to employers not least because their skills may be regarded as a little rusty.

This is plainly no good for the individuals concerned; but neither is it for the country.

It’s a waste. And something else happens at times like these. For entirely understandable reasons firms who are seeing their margins squeezed have to off-load costs which they see as optional.

Often, in the past, it’s training budgets which have been one of the first casualties of a recession. But this then makes recovery from the recession more difficult. As the economy picks up, shortages of trained people become apparent.

The worldwide recession is now a fact; it’s affecting all countries across the globe.

But to avoid repeating the mistakes of previous recessions, sensible governments are working to ensure that this time around there is more support to offset the reduction in demand – and to maintain the workforce skills base.

This is where “Train to Gain” comes in, a government scheme whereby employers can get public funding (alongside their own contribution) to help pay costs of training, and to subsidise the time off which the employee has to take for the training.

The government currently invests £656m in Train to Gain and will be investing over £1bn by 2011. Research shows that 43 per cent of workers who used it received a pay rise within the following year and 30 per cent of workers who had training received a promotion within the next year.

Blackburn College does a lot of the training under this scheme on an NVQ-based programme. This is delivered entirely in the work place and involves individuals and/or groups of employees.

It is free to participants and seeks predominantly to upskill the workforce to a Level 2 NVQ, equivalent to 5 A-Cs at GCSE. It is available to all employees over the age of 19 and the qualifications achieved, being work-based, have a practical value which makes them attractive to employers.

The expansion of Train to Gain is important during a period of financial difficulty because for a business to remain healthy it needs to remain competitive. And that means having a skilled workforce.

The government is working to ensure that small businesses can benefit from the new investment, as well as seeking to make the training package as flexible as possible.This flexibility is already paying dividends.

For example, JCB and Nissan have recently moved to a four-day week but agreed bespoke arrangements with local Learning and Skills Councils (LSC) under which the latter will pay for training on the fifth day under Train to Gain.

I’d like to see firms and employees across East Lancashire making really good use of “Train to Gain” and the funds which go with it.

With the college and business links, I’m keen to help – and also to learn from the experiences of those who have used the scheme.