Benefits for employers


copy image 1It is more important than ever before for students to leave school and college with a wide variety of skills - in specific academic subjects as well as in functional, employable skills such as literacy, numeracy, enterprise and job-specific skills. In today's economic climate, employers demand that people have a large number of such skills and abilities if they are to be employed and remain employed.

The Leitch Review of Skills (2006) highlighted the importance of improving the skills of the future workforce. It recommended that for the UK to be a world leader on skills by 2020, it should aim to increase basic literacy and numeracy among adults, and increase the number of adults who achieve Level 2 (equivalent to five GCSEs), Level 3 (equivalent to two or more A levels) and Level 4 (equivalent to degree-level) qualifications.

According to the CBI Employment Trends Survey (2006),

  • 70% of employers are dissatisfied with school leavers' business awareness
  • 52% are dissatisfied with their general employability skills
  • 47% are dissatisfied with their basic literacy and use of English
  • 44% are dissatisfied with their basic numeracy skills1.

If employers wish to improve the skills and abilities of the future workforce, they have an obligation to contribute to their education. They will reap the rewards in the future.

Other benefits are related to the following:

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1See more of these statistics in Enterprise and employability skills.

 

Why it makes a difference

 

Demand for highly skilled staff to grow, says CBI/EDI

The demand for skilled people will intensify during the recovery, and employers' top recruitment priorities are employability skills such as problem solving and team working, above exam results, a new survey reveals. The CBI believes that business has a key role to play in the education system.

The new CBI report, called Ready to grow: business priorities for education and skills, is sponsored by leading qualifications awarding body EDI. The survey was answered by 694 employers, which together employ over 2.4 million people and represent companies of all sizes and sectors.

Visit: Ready to grow: business priorities for education and skills

Learning outside the classroom crucial, says Ofsted

The government's response to the Commons Education Committee's report both acknowledges the importance of learning outside the classroom and promises to investigate the constraints on schools arising from unnecessary health and safety red tape or from teachers' pay and conditions.

To read Ofsted's response to the Commons Education Committee Report Transforming Education Outside the Classroom please visit:

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmeduc/525/52504.htm

Also see Education Executive article: http://www.edexec.co.uk/news/1387/think-outside-the-box/

Helping young people succeed: the role of employers

Deloitte, the business advisory firm, has launched a report, commissioned by The Education and Employers Taskforce, examining how employers can contribute to improving careers education through inspiring and better informing young people.

The dynamic labour market and the vast range of career options available can leave young people feeling 'bewildered' and 'uninformed'. The research shows that a substantial divide between what young people want from their careers advice at school and what they get, including the level of involvement of employers.

Read the full report 

Governors Mean Business

This School Governors One-Stop Shop (SGOSS) and University of Hertfordshire research report shows the ways in which Governors are valued by head teachers and schools. These include challenging and holding the leadership to account, monitoring, evaluation and getting to know the areas of school life in need of development.

Visit: Governors Mean Business; School Governors' One-Stop Shop volunteers: Their contribution and added value to schools in England

CBI calls for employers and schools to collaborate for employability

In  Fulfilling potential, the business role in education, the CBI, the UK's largest employers' body, calls for the anticipated government White Paper on school reform to set out a clear strategy on how businesses can get involved in education.

Visit: http://www.cbi.org.uk/pdf/fulfilling-potential-the-business-role-in-education.p

For further evidence of how it makes a difference also see the Reseach Reports.

 

FURTHER INFO