• Age.
• Ability or disability.
• Gender.
• Race.
• Religion.
• Ethnic origin.
• Sexual orientation.
• Marital status.
• Transgender status.

"Regardless of age, race, gender, class, sexual orientation, religion or belief, disability or the passport they hold, every worker should enjoy an equal chance to up-skill or learn something new at work." - Frances O’Grady, Breaking through the barriers

• Black workers have fewer training opportunities than white workers and black women get an even worse deal.
• Older Workers may have been in the job for longer but this may only mean that the longer you are in a job the less training you will receive.
• Manual workers and/or workers with few qualifications are mainly overlooked for training as those who have a lot of education and training tend to benefit from any training on offer.
• Part-time workers and temporary workers are often left behind when training is on offer as employers place a greater value on permanent or full-time workers at the cost of temporary or part-time workers. Women make up the majority of part-time workers.
• Workers for whom English is a second language may find that the only jobs open to them are manual / low skilled jobs. Whilst some will have qualifications, these may have been achieved in another country and employers will often overlook them. A lack of spoken English is often a barrier to moving on.
• Shift workers are least likely to participate in learning in colleges because of working patterns, or to be offered training by their employer.  They may need to be encouraged when learning is promoted and shift times taken into account when onsite learning takes place.
• Discrimination often plays a role when access to job and training opportunities are based on negative stereotypes and perceptions of what people can and can’t do.

• Ethnicity
• 🤬
• Gender reassignment
• Disability
• Religion and belief
• Age
• Sexual orientation
• Pregnancy and maternity
• Marriage and civil partnerships