Aug 2007 20

Firms having to teach their workers the three Rs1

Despite a chorus of "rising standards" from politicians firms are having to teach teenage workers basic numeracy and literacy.  From the Telegraph: "Half of employers said some teenagers were "unable to function in the
workplace" claiming they cannot make simple calculations in their
heads, speak in an articulate manner or understand written instructions."  The only skills that young people appear to have in abundance are information technology skills developed at home with iPods and Myspace.

If, after 11 years of full-time education, students have not taken away even the most basic of skills our education system has become almost a complete waste of time.  The case for serious reform becomes stronger by the day.

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  • http://vindicovindico.blogspot.com Vindico

    Absolutely! This problem is getting worse and worse and will seriously hurt our economic competitiveness and living standards if not sorted. The Government focus on education would be welcome if it actually worked, but perhaps more pressing is creating the framework to help employers train up their employees. Much of our future economic capability relies on those already in the workforce and so we need serious programmes and incentives to let those people who really understand what is needed – businesses, to do (unfortunately) the job the Government has failed to do!!