People may be forced to pay more for training courses aimed at making them more employable, Education Secretary Charles Clarke has indicated.

However, providers will have to offer more courses that people actually take.

About seven million adults have difficulty with the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic and Mr Clarke said that was "a scandal" the Government was determined to address.

Almost three years ago, the Government's skills task force said people who could afford it should make a reasonable contribution to courses that made them more attractive to potential employers.

The Department for Education and Skills yesterday published a document saying its emerging thinking was taxpayers' money for training should be targeted at adults with less than five GCSEs at Grade C and young grown-ups looking to gain their first A-level qualifications.

Mr Clarke was told at a conference of business people and trade unionists the Government would either have to invest much more in paying for people's training or ask them to contribute as part of the drive to boost productivity.

The UK's productivity gap with its main competitors was large - Germany's output was 25 per cent higher while with the United States and France the shortfalls were 26 and 33 per cent respectively.

Mr Clarke said: "I am not opposed to charging more to employers or students."