Seven out of 10 small businesses are not aware of government training initiatives, a recent survey shows.

A report based on responses from more than 1,000 smaller businesses found that nearly 70% did not know about the training role of the Sector Skills Council or the Train2Gain scheme.

The survey, by the independent Small Business Research Trust (SBRT), also showed that almost half of the respondents did not carry out any formal training, though this did not exclude informal, on-the-job training.

Awareness of Government training schemes was particularly low among micro firms (0-9 employees), with just over 17% aware of the role of the Sector Skills Councils or the Train2Gain programme.

Among small firms (10-49 employees), about a third of the respondents were aware of one or both of these initiatives. Medium-sized firms (50 to 249 employees) reported that almost 29% knew about the Sector Skills Councils and over 40% about Train2Gain.

The Sector Skills Council aims to boost the productivity and profitablility of the UK by tackling skills shortages through training, while Train2Gain is designed to help businesses recognise the positive impact of skills training.

Train2Gain will pay for quality assured training organisations to train employees at work in nationally recognised qualifications.