Workers who have been with their employer for more than 26 weeks could soon enjoy the legal right to request time off work for training purposes.
Skills secretary John Denham said that if parliament passes the bill, the new legislation should be in force from 2010.
He suggested that if that happens, around 300,000 people a year will receive training who otherwise would not have done.
At the moment it is estimated that some eight million employees receive no training at all every year, while a third of employers do not train their staff.
With the credit crunch affecting UK businesses, Mr Denham emphasised that "investment in skills is key to ensuring we come through with a stronger economy".
He added: "We need to find new ways to bring the drive for skills into every workplace and to every worker."
The government has already outlined plans to help 18 to 24-year-olds build on their education through online skills accounts.
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