A recent survey by the FSB found nearly four in five respondents said the government Train to Gain scheme was not flexible enough and didn't focus on issues specific to smaller firms, such as specialised technical and business skills.

Respondents also said they were not aware that subsidised training was on offer and 88% said they had not taken up training through the Train to Gain scheme.

FSB education and skills chairman Colin Willman said: "Much of the government's training offer goes over the heads of the hardest to reach small firms because the training available is inappropriate for the majority of the country's smallest businesses and because it still isn't flexible enough. [A small business] needs to be able to train its staff in a way that doesn't force them to be out of the office for days on end."

BAPC chairman Sidney Bobb said that the feedback from his members revealed access to the £350m training fund for small businesses was not user-friendly.

"It's just too complicated," he said. He added he would support creating a specialist Sector Skills Council for micro businesses, but said that effort needed to be put into raising awareness.

"You need to create awareness that this is for them. It has to say what it does on the tin," he said.