The government and employers must do more to prioritise and invest in training for low-skilled workers, the Social Mobility Commission has urged.
The poorest adults with the lowest qualifications, especially men in routine and manual jobs, are the least likely to learn new skills, according to research carried out for the advisory body.
Training is often only available to staff who are already highly paid or skilled, which means low-skilled workers are missing out, the commission, which promotes social mobility in England, said.
Almost a third (30 per cent) of those employed in managerial and professional occupations took part in training in the last three months, compared to 18 per cent in routine and manual jobs.
High-skilled workers tend to benefit from a "virtuous circle" of in-work training and pay rises, according to the study, carried out by the Institute for Employment Research at Warwick University.
Professional or managerial employees are twice as likely to be sent on courses as their peers, while graduates are three times as likely to access training as those with no qualifications, the report says.
According to the study, the UK spends just two-thirds of the European average on adult training and investment is in decline.
Government funding for adult skills fell by a third in real terms between 2011 and 2016, it says.
Dame Martina Milburn, who chairs the commission, has called on employers and the government to urgently address this problem, as she said the potential of low-skilled workers was being “wasted.”
She added: “They should start by increasing their investment in training, to bring it closer to that of international competitors, and prioritise this to those with low or no skills. Doing this would benefit both business and the economy as a whole."
Dr Daria Luchinskaya, from the Institute for Employment Research, said: "This report shows a 'virtuous' and a 'vicious' cycle of learning, whereby those with low or no qualifications are much less likely to access education and training after leaving school than those with high qualifications."
Peter Cheese, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), said: "These findings should act as a wake-up call for employers to look a lot harder at how they are developing their workforce for the future.”
Additional reporting by PA
