Workers with few qualifications (less than 5 GCSEs at grade C or above) can get paid time off to train. You are entitled to take time off work without losing pay to do the studying and the Government reimburses your employer for the hours you miss. You can do the training in your workplace, or at a local college, and fit the hours in around your shifts. With the change of government the precise way this works is changing. For the latest information contact the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
24 Feb 2012: When do you start getting paid?
The Interns: Getting treated like a dogsbody?