acas.org.uk

Acas offers training courses, events and tailored support on a wide range of employment topics, aimed primarily at employers and others who need to strengthen workplace compliance and management practice. The site presents this as one of its core services alongside free advice, templates and dispute resolution. Specific course schedules, formats and prices are not set out in the available page content, so you need to check the Acas website directly for current arrangements.

Who the training is for

The Acas homepage describes the organisation as the workplace expert for England, Wales and Scotland, providing free and impartial advice for employers and employees, plus training and help to resolve disputes. Within that mix, the training and tailored support strand is framed around employment topics — the practical ground employers and managers need to cover to stay compliant and handle people issues well.

If you are an employer, HR professional or manager responsible for workplace rules and practice, this is the part of Acas's offer most relevant to you. Employees looking for general rights advice are pointed instead to the free advice service.

What is covered

The site groups Acas help into four areas, and training sits alongside them:

The phrase "wide range of employment topics" is as specific as the available content gets. The site does not list individual course titles, durations or delivery methods on the page captured, so treat any topic list you see elsewhere as needing verification against Acas's own pages.

How to find current courses and support

Because the homepage only signals that training exists rather than detailing it, the practical route is:

1. Go to acas.org.uk and open the training section from the main navigation.
2. Look for the distinction between open courses and events (fixed programmes you attend) and tailored support (arranged around a specific organisation's needs).
3. Check the current schedule, location or delivery format, and cost before committing — none of these are confirmed in the source material.

The site also invites visitors to sign up for free updates from Acas, which is a reasonable way to hear about new courses, events and consultation activity. Note that signing up for emails is a separate action from booking training; the subscription page is not evidence that training itself is free.

Where training fits with the rest of Acas's work

Training is best understood as the capability-building layer of Acas's service. Advice and templates help you answer a question or produce a document now; dispute resolution helps when something has already gone wrong; training and tailored support aim to build the knowledge that prevents problems arising. The site's news content illustrates the kind of change employers need to keep up with — for example, a blog post on consulting on updates to the flexible working Code, a news item on employer confidence about implementing new trade union law, and a page on the Employment Rights Act 2025 setting out which laws have already changed and what is expected in 2026 and 2027.

That context is the strongest argument for using the training strand: where the legal framework is shifting, structured courses and tailored support give employers a way to prepare rather than react. For a specific decision — which course, at what cost, delivered how — the Acas website remains the authoritative and current source.

Acas is the workplace expert for England, Wales and Scotland. It gives employees and employers free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules and best practice, and it also offers training and help to resolve disputes. Use it when you need a reliable starting point on an employment question, a document to adapt, or a way to settle a disagreement without going to an employment tribunal.

Who Acas covers

Acas describes itself as the workplace expert for England, Wales and Scotland. Its advice is aimed at both sides of the workplace: employers and employees. That dual audience matters — the same service is designed to be usable whether you are setting policy or working under it.

What Acas provides

The site groups its help into four areas:

Advice

This is the entry point for most questions about employment rights and workplace rules. It is described as free and impartial, so it is written to inform rather than to represent one side.

Templates

Rather than drafting from scratch, you can take a free letter, form or policy document and adapt it. This suits common workplace tasks — for example, putting a policy in writing or issuing a standard letter — where a recognised starting document reduces the risk of missing a required element.

Dispute resolution

Acas helps parties reach a legal agreement without going to an employment tribunal, and also helps resolve disputes more broadly. If a disagreement is heading toward a formal claim, this is the service to look at first.

Training

Courses, events and tailored support cover a wide range of employment topics. This is the option when you need to build capability — for a manager or a team — rather than answer a single question.

Current changes worth knowing

The Acas site flags active developments that affect how employers should act:

• Flexible working Code consultation — Acas is consulting on updates to its Code on flexible working; a senior policy adviser explains why the Code is changing and how to get involved.
• New trade union law — Acas reports that nearly 1 in 5 bosses are not confident about implementing it.
• Employment Rights Act 2025 — a page tracks which laws have already changed and what further changes are expected in 2026 and 2027.

If your question concerns flexible working, trade unions or the Employment Rights Act 2025, check these updates before relying on older guidance.

How to choose the right entry point

• Need an answer on a right or rule → start with Advice.
• Need a document to send or adopt → start with Templates.
• In a disagreement or facing a tribunal → start with Dispute resolution services.
• Need to upskill people → start with Training.
• Need to stay current → follow the News and updates and the Employment Rights Act 2025 page.

Acas also offers free email updates you can sign up for, which is a practical way to hear about Code changes and new law as they land.

Acas provides free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules and best practice for both employers and employees in England, Wales and Scotland, along with free letters, forms and policy documents you can adapt for your own use. Both are available through the relevant sections of acas.org.uk. The advice covers general employment rights and good practice rather than case-specific legal representation, and the templates are starting points to adapt rather than finished documents.

Free advice: what it covers

Acas describes its advice as free, impartial guidance on employment rights, rules and best practice. In practice this means:

• Employment rights — the statutory entitlements and protections that apply to workers and employers.
• Rules — how workplace processes are expected to work, including the Acas Codes of Practice that employment tribunals take into account.
• Best practice — what good workplace practice looks like beyond the legal minimum.

The advice is written for both sides of the employment relationship. An employer checking how to handle a process and an employee checking what they are entitled to are both within scope. Because the service is described as impartial, it does not act as an advocate for either party.

One current example of how advice is kept up to date: Acas has been consulting on updates to its Code on flexible working, with a senior policy adviser explaining why the Code is changing and how people can get involved. Acas also maintains a page on the Employment Rights Act 2025 setting out which laws have already changed and what further changes are expected in 2026 and 2027. If you are relying on advice in a fast-moving area, check the page's updated date.

Free templates: what you get

Acas offers free letters, forms and policy documents that you adapt for your own situation. The site describes them as templates to adapt — so treat them as a structure and wording to adjust, not a document to send unchanged.

Typical uses include:

• Letters — written communications for common workplace situations.
• Forms — records and requests that need a consistent format.
• Policy documents — workplace policies you can tailor to your organisation.

For an employer, adapting a template means inserting your organisation's details, checking it matches your existing policies, and making sure it reflects current law. For an employee, a template letter can provide a clear structure for raising a workplace issue in writing.

How to decide whether Acas fits your need

The free advice and templates are the right starting point when you need orientation and a usable document. If your matter is a live dispute, the dispute resolution services are the more relevant route. If you need organisation-specific training, that sits under the training offering rather than the free advice pages.

Practical steps to use the site

1. Identify your need — a question about rights or rules, a document to produce, a dispute, or training.
2. Go to the matching section — advice, templates, dispute resolution services, or training.
3. For templates, adapt before use — add your details, check consistency with your own policies, and confirm the content reflects current law, especially where the Employment Rights Act 2025 page flags upcoming changes.
4. Check currency — pages carry updated dates; where a Code or law is under consultation or change, confirm the position before relying on it.
5. Sign up for updates — Acas offers free updates by email, useful if you need to track changes such as the flexible working Code or the Employment Rights Act 2025 timetable.

Common sticking points

• Expecting case-specific legal advice. The advice is general and impartial; it explains rights and rules rather than telling you what outcome you will get.
• Using a template unadapted. Templates are explicitly for adaptation; an unmodified policy or letter may not fit your organisation or your facts.
• Assuming advice is current indefinitely. Employment law is changing through 2026 and 2027; check the updated date and any consultation status before relying on a page.
• Confusing the free services with paid ones. Training and tailored support are listed separately from the free advice and templates, so check which offering you are using before assuming it is free.

Acas publishes employment law updates in the News and updates section of its website (acas.org.uk), and you can have new items sent to you by signing up for free email updates. The site currently tracks which laws have already changed under the Employment Rights Act 2025 and which further changes are expected in 2026 and 2027, alongside topical news such as the consultation on updates to the flexible working Code.

What the updates section covers

The News and updates area mixes short news items with blog posts written by Acas staff. Recent examples shown on the site include:

• Flexible working Code consultation — a blog post by Calum Carson, Acas Senior Policy Adviser, explaining why the Acas Code on flexible working is changing and how to take part in the consultation (dated 26 October 2026).
• Trade union law — a news item reporting that nearly 1 in 5 bosses are not confident about implementing new trade union law (dated 23 October 2026).
• Employment Rights Act 2025 — a page setting out which laws have already changed and other changes expected in 2026 and 2027 (page updated 27 October 2026).

This makes the section useful both for headline developments and for a consolidated view of what has changed versus what is still coming.

How to follow changes as they happen

1. Check the Employment Rights Act 2025 page first. It is the single page the site presents as the summary of implemented and expected changes, so it is the quickest way to see the current position rather than reading individual news items.
2. Browse News and updates for context. Blog posts and news items explain the reasoning behind a change and, in the case of consultations, how to get involved.
3. Sign up for emails. The site offers a "Sign up for emails" link for free updates from Acas, which is the practical way to avoid checking the site manually.

What to keep in mind

• Dates on the site are specific (for example, 26 and 27 October 2026), so treat any summary as a snapshot and re-check the Employment Rights Act 2025 page before relying on it for a decision.
• The updates describe legal changes and consultations; they are general information rather than advice on your own situation.
• Acas describes its advice as free and impartial for employers and employees in England, Wales and Scotland, and also offers templates, dispute resolution services and training if an update prompts action in your workplace.

For most readers, the efficient routine is: Employment Rights Act 2025 page for the state of play, News and updates for explanation, and email updates so new items reach you.

Acas offers a free dispute resolution service that can help employers and employees reach a legally binding agreement without going to an employment tribunal. The service is available to both sides of a dispute and is separate from Acas's general advice line, so it suits people who have already identified a disagreement and want a structured route to settling it. The exact process and eligibility depend on the type of dispute, so the first step is to check which Acas service fits your situation.

What Acas's dispute resolution service covers

Acas describes its dispute resolution services as helping you "get a legal agreement without going to an employment tribunal, or help resolve a dispute." Two things follow from that wording:

• The primary aim is a legal agreement — a settlement that both sides sign and that closes the matter, rather than an informal understanding.
• The service also covers disputes more broadly, not only claims that would otherwise end up at a tribunal.

This matters because a workplace disagreement can be resolved at different stages: before a formal claim is made, after a claim is lodged, or in a dispute that never had a tribunal route at all. Acas positions itself as the workplace expert for England, Wales and Scotland, providing free and impartial advice to both employers and employees.

Who it is for

The service is designed for employers or employees who are already in a dispute and want to understand their options for resolving it without litigation. Because Acas is impartial, it does not act for either side. That makes it usable by:

• An employee who believes they have a claim but would prefer a settlement to a tribunal hearing.
• An employer facing a grievance or potential claim who wants a lawful route to resolution.
• Either party in a dispute that is not tribunal-bound but still needs independent help.

If you are not yet in a dispute and simply need to understand your rights, the free advice service is the better starting point. If you need documents to put a resolution in writing, Acas also publishes free templates — letters, forms and policy documents — that you can adapt.

How the route works in practice

Acas does not publish a single universal step-by-step for every dispute type on its homepage, so treat the following as the general shape of the process rather than a fixed script:

1. Identify the type of dispute. Is this a potential employment tribunal claim, a collective issue, or a general workplace disagreement? The answer determines which Acas service applies.
2. Contact Acas through the dispute resolution route rather than the general advice line, and describe the disagreement and what each side wants.
3. Use the impartial support offered to exchange positions and explore settlement. Acas's role is to help the parties reach agreement, not to decide who is right.
4. Put the outcome in writing. The goal is a legal agreement. Acas's free templates can help with the paperwork, but the terms should reflect what both sides actually agreed.
5. Verify the result. Confirm that the agreement is signed by both parties and that it covers the specific dispute, so the matter is closed.

A concrete example

Suppose an employee raises a grievance about how a redundancy selection was handled and hints at a tribunal claim. Rather than waiting for a claim to be lodged, either side can approach Acas's dispute resolution service. Acas helps the parties set out their positions, tests where common ground exists, and — if a deal is reached — supports putting it into a written agreement. The employee gets certainty and avoids a hearing; the employer closes the matter without tribunal costs. If no agreement is reached, the normal tribunal route remains open.

What this route does not do

• It does not provide legal representation for either side.
• It does not guarantee a settlement — if the parties will not move, the dispute can still go to a tribunal.
• It is not a substitute for checking your specific rights; use the free advice service and templates for that groundwork first.

Practical next steps

Start on acas.org.uk by reading the "How Acas can help" section and choosing between Advice, Templates, and Dispute resolution services based on where you are in the disagreement. If you are already in a live dispute and want to avoid a tribunal, the dispute resolution route is the one to pursue; if you are preparing your position, the free templates will save time later. Acas also offers training and tailored support on employment topics, which can help employers prevent similar disputes arising again.