My employer wants me to go on a computer course but I never use a PC. What should I do?

The fact that you do not use a PC now does not mean that you might not be required to use one in the future. Technology is one of the most rapidly expanding aspects of work today. Very few occupational roles in today's working environment escape the impact of new technology.

If, however, you believe that you will not be required to use a PC, you might wish to discuss this with your employer and explain your reasons for not wanting to undergo such training.

You might wish to ask your work colleagues whether they have been requested to undergo such training and if they have, whether they have done it and if they have, what their experiences were. You might discover that it wasn't that bad. You must not lose sight of the fact that such development will add to your own skills levels.

If it is the case that you might be expected to use computers in the future, and there is a good business reason for this, and the training is necessary, you might try and resist, but eventually your employer might insist.

In such circumstances your employer, to stay on the right side of the law, might simply give you notice of termination of your current contract of employment.

Before the ending of your contract your employer may offer you new employment on a new contract, which includes terms relating to training for computers and their use. It will then be for you to decide whether to accept this new contract or be without a job.

If your employer followed such a course of action he/she will not have breached your contract of employment and therefore will be within his/her legal rights.

If you do not accept the new terms and have one year's continuous service you might wish to pursue a claim to an employment tribunal for unfair dismissal. Such a claim would have to be lodged with the employment tribunal within three months of the purported dismissal.

However, in the circumstances, where an employer can convince the tribunal that there was a good business reason for requiring you to undergo such training, the likelihood is that your claim would be unsuccessful.