I want to undertake more training and development but I am worried about being victimised if I ask. What should I do?

You need to ask, "Why you believe you might be victimised and by whom?"

If you have already taken advantage of various training and development opportunities, which have resulted in you being away from your workplace for prolonged period, you might feel that a request for further training could be seen as 'you playing the system'.

Therefore, you should establish that the further training you propose to undergo will be beneficial, not only to yourself, but to the organisation as well.

If your employer has a policy on training and development, you should consult this to see what the provisions are and that you are complying with those provisions.

Irrespective of what the employer’s policy states, for employees with 6 months’ service or more, there is a right to request time off to train. This currently applies only to organisations with 250 or more staff. Such employers must consider your request and comply with statutory time limits and procedures relating to that request. For example, within 28 days of making your request the employer must normally have accepted it, or met with you to discuss it (giving its decision within 14 days thereafter).

If you are a member of a trade union, you might wish to talk over your desires and fears with your union representative, or a specialist union learning representative (if there is one where you work). You do have a legal right to discuss your needs with a union learning representative during working time, although your employer has no obligation to pay you during that contact time.

You might wish to talk to colleagues to establish whether they have made similar requests and what the consequences have been. Taking the actions above should make you feel more confident and reduce a possible negative reaction from your employer.

You should not be victimised for making such a request. If you feel that you are being victimised, this is a serious matter and should be raised using your organisation's grievance procedure. Speak to your union rep if you have one. If you are refused training, or are victimised for requesting it, and you believe that your employer's refusal or victimisation might also be discriminatory (for example if men are generally allowed to take up training opportunities, whilst women are not) you may be able to take a case against your employer to an employment tribunal.

Such claims can be stressful and time-consuming, and it is best to try and sort things out with your employer before considering tribunal action. If you are thinking about a tribunal claim, make sure you seek good advice at an early stage. You should normally try to use your employer's grievance procedure before you bring a tribunal claim – although tribunal claims must usually be brought within 3 months of the action you are complaining about.