A fascinating report has been published at www.unlockingbritainspotential.co.uk
Two quotes jump right off the page – “We are failing our youth and creating a lost workforce“, and “Education is failing employers and employees“.
And a few key statistics:
67% of employers think there needs to be a collaborative effort between government, employers, parents, individuals and the education system to ensure that those entering the workforce have the skills required by potential employers.
50% of respondents (46% of employees; 53% of employers) say that university does not equip graduates with the right skills for the workplace.
Employers rate future potential on attitude (91%); work experience (55%); education/ qualification (35%).
This report was an initiative from the Adecco Group, partnered with Deloitte and Cisco. It is a brilliant read, with a number of key recommendations. The only real worry is that it’s going to take time, money, lots of effort, joined-up thinking, and some serious collaboration to resolve. That usually only happens when there is clear leadership. In the report, there is a call to government to take action – will the resultant action be positive, or will there be an “official response”, acknowledging that something needs to be done but disagreeing with much of it? Some of the actions proposed:
There needs ot be structured collaboration between employers, education, government and other stakeholders to better define what we need from the education sector, and how we measure it.
Employers need to be more engaged in education, and in particular not restricted to major employers.
Teachers need to be given wider support and training, in understanding the needs of employers and workplace norms.
Work experience in schools needs to be formalised.
It’s absolutely brilliant to find such a major study with such clear findings. The recommended actions are clear. Let’s see what happens next.
earlyinitiative 