School Leavers Lack Skills Needed For Workplace

School Leavers Lack Skills Needed For Workplace: New research has suggested that UK business leaders are unimpressed by the quality of school leavers – with a third disappointed with their attitude and more than half (52%) saying that they lack the communication skills required.

School Leavers Lack Skills Needed For Workplace

School Leavers Lack Skills Needed For Workplace Says New Research With Businesses

The research, published in the Confederation of British Industry’s seventh annual skills survey, found that almost two fifths of firms (38%) voiced concern of the quality of school leavers’ numeracy skills, with half also stating that their problem solving abilities were not good enough.

Around 60% of the businesses questioned stated that they felt the skills gap was actually increasing – and that they feared being unable to recruit the number of skilled staff needed for the future. More than a quarter (28%) of businesses looking to recruit school leavers with STEM skills (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) are already stating that they are struggling to meet their needs, with a further third (35%) saying they foresee problems doing so in the next three years.

Business leaders have called for schools to better prepare young people for the world of work as a result – although positively, the vast majority (96%) stated that they were satisfied with young people’s IT skills.

This piece of research was conducted with 291 companies which collectively employed around 1.5million people. Of these, three fifths (61%) said that they were concerned about the lack of resilience found in young people, and their lack of self-management ability. The businesses surveyed also called for primary schools to place a higher focus on literacy and numeracy – with more than four fifths (85%) suggesting this as a good course of action. More than half of the firms interviewed also called schools to develop a greater awareness of working life among teenagers – with 52% of them seeing this as important.

Two thirds of companies said that they would be willing to take on a larger role in the school curriculum. In addition, four fifths stated that careers advice simply was not of a sufficient standard – many argued that there was an assumption that academic careers were out forward as the best route, when in fact vocational careers can be a viable and rewarding career.

 

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