Can they force me to take training courses in my free time?

It depends on the contract you signed, but generally speaking, no, they can't force you to do training on your own time if it's not explicitly stated. If it's something that falls under your job duties, that has to be during work hours. Check your contract carefully and if you have any doubts, ask your union or a labor lawyer, because there are exceptions and it varies quite a bit depending on your sector's collective agreement.

Don't sign anything without reading it carefully - that's the first mistake I see people making all the time. Training during your free time is an annoying gray area because technically your free time is yours, but company agreements can contain clauses that make it mandatory. Check your contract and your sector's collective bargaining agreement - if there's nothing in writing that requires you to do courses outside working hours, you can refuse without any problem.

Years ago I worked in a call center and they asked me to do evening training on the new platform. I said no, it was my free time and the contract said nothing about it. They insisted, saying it was an essential skill for the role. So I looked into it more carefully and found out it was something proposed but not mandatory - if I'd signed the hiring agreement form with that clause, it would've been different. It was enough for me to say they could do it during working hours and that was that. It's important that you understand: if training is required for your job, the company should provide it during working hours, period.

If they keep pushing after you've said no, send a polite email asking for clarification on the contractual basis for this request, so you have a written record. If it's something generic like "language courses to improve yourself," you can afford to refuse. If it's something directly tied to your job duties, then yeah, they'd probably be right, but even then it should be covered by working hours or paid separately.

Technically your employer can't put a gun to your head to force you to study on weekends, but it really depends on how your contract is worded and especially how much you're willing to "cooperate" without letting them walk all over you. When I worked at a café I was asked to take a coffee specialization course, and at first it seemed optional but then it basically became a veiled condition for not falling behind on shift rotations. The annoying part is that these courses are often unpaid and everything stays pretty murky: you'll never find it written down as "you're required," but the pressure is definitely there. If you really don't want to do them, formally they don't have much to say, but you need to be ready for the unwritten consequences at work.

I work as a courier and I had a boss who wanted me to take a road safety course on Saturday afternoon, completely unpaid of course. I flat out said no because my contract didn't say anything about mandatory training outside work hours, and honestly after 8-9 hours of deliveries on a Saturday it really wasn't the right time. If your contract doesn't say you have to do training on your own time, you have every right to refuse, even if maybe your boss gives you a dirty look. The important thing is not to let yourself be intimidated by this idea that if you refuse they'll come after you, because that's just not how it works.

Italian labor law doesn't require you to do training on your own time if it's not in your contract and not directly related to your job duties. Full stop. If they're forcing it on you verbally with nothing in writing, they have zero legal ground to stand on.

I saw something similar happen at a veterinary clinic years ago - the owner wanted all of us to take courses on animal stress management on Sunday mornings, for free. We were like eight techs, I brought it up with the others and eventually he got it that he could suggest it, sure, but couldn't force it. If he'd put it in the initial contract maybe things would've been different, but even then we could've negotiated some compensation. The thing is, a lot of employers test the waters with this stuff precisely because they're counting on people not knowing what the rules actually are.

Check your sector's collective bargaining agreement though, because there are industries where continuing education is already built in, and in that case there might already be something spelled out about how and when to do it. If it's not written anywhere, the answer is no. You could always propose doing it during work hours or ask them to pay you for those hours. That's not a dumb thing to ask for, it's the bare minimum.

If the contract says "continuous training" or "mandatory professional development" without specifying hours, technically they could try to pull off making you do it on your own time, but before you vent about it at the bar try asking in writing whether that training counts as work hours and if it's paid - get everything in writing (email works fine) so you have documentation 💪 If they refuse to answer clearly, that's already a red flag. In my experience as a pharmacist, professional development courses should be during work hours or compensated, and if you get a written refusal from them it's harder for them to give you trouble later.