Can an employee force you to pay back training costs and wages?
Since approx April this year my job has required me to undergo expensive training for a new machine. I had no interest in training with this machine but it was required for my job. It's a pretty niche machine and won't really help me when I work anywhere else.
For the first three trainings I have been required to sign an agreement where if I leave (OR my position gets terminated) within 12 months of signing the agreement I must pay back all training costs and wages associated with it. The agreement says I must pay the fee within 7 days of leaving and/ or it will come out of my final pay.
I am required to go on yet more training down south next month and I am just waiting for the agreement to cross my desk. This is getting into the thousands and I'm really uncomfortable signing another agreement for such a big trip. I am wanting to resign early next year but I feel trapped by such enormous costs. Does my employer have the right to force me to sign this? Any advice would be really helpful. Thank you.