School leavers ‘lack’ workplace skills

20 August 2008

The education system is failing to meet the needs of small businesses, it has been claimed.

Despite record numbers of A-level passes, many small firms are finding that school and college leavers lack many of the basic skills demanded by the workplace.

Research carried out by the Forum of Private Business (FPB) has suggested that around three-quarters of a million small businesses have had to recruit individuals with fewer skills than they had hoped for.

Phil Orford, the FPB’s chief executive, said: “There is a clear gap between what businesses need and what businesses get when it comes to the ability of the education system to produce viable employees for small businesses.”

Mr Orford added: “The results of the FPB’s research prove that our members have issues when it comes to finding employees with basic attributes such as communication, numeracy and literacy, as well as more developed and specific skills that are required by individual businesses. The FPB hopes the government takes note of what we have found.”