News
Outgoing director general of the British Chambers of Commerce believes schools are failing to ready pupils for work
8 Apr 2011
School leavers do not have the skills needed for the world of work, forcing companies to spend billions of pounds bringing them up to speed, a business leader has said. David Frost, the outgoing director general of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), criticised Britain's education system, saying it was a "failure" despite billions of pounds of government funding.
During the British Chambers of Commerce annual conference in London yesterday, Mr Frost said:
“Despite the billions that have been spent over the last decade, business relentlessly bemoans the lack of skills available. What they are really describing is a failure of the education system. A system where half of all kids fail to get five decent GCSEs simply means that five years later we spend billions offering them remedial training to make them work-ready.”
His comments echo those of senior business leaders.
In 2009 Sir Terry Leahy, the chief executive of Tesco, attached the government's "woeful" education record, claiming that too many teenagers left school without enough basic education to cope on a shop floor. Sir Terry said: “Sadly, despite all the money that has been spent, standards are still woefully low in too many schools. Employers like us... are often left to pick up the pieces.” Sir Stuart Rose, the former Marks and Spencer chief executive, has also claimed schools were failing to equip pupils with the right skills to succeed in the world of work. He described the standard of school leavers as “woefully low”.
Recognising this problem, in 2010 the National Literacy Trust launched a two-year pilot project focusing on developing young people’s speaking and listening skills to ensure they are prepared for employment. This year the initiative is being delivered in 13 schools across England, and works by bringing in professionals from the business community to work with Year 9 (13-year-old) pupils to stimulate thought and discussion around communication and how this may be important for their future. The business volunteers act as positive role models and are able to utilise the skills they have developed in their working lives to empower the pupils they are working with.
Today the National Literacy Trust is also launching a free Schools Guide to Literacy that provides an accessible overview of research and evidence for the effective teaching of reading, writing, speaking and listening, as well as examples of success and checklists for schools to assess their progress.
To read more about David Frost’s address, please visit the:
