Britain’s youngsters requiring more common sense for the workplace

News Article - 08 April 2011
Category: Business

Business leaders claim the UK's key industries are struggling to find young workers with the necessary practical skills for the workplace.

Industries such as aerospace, engineering and IT are thought to be particularly worried about the dearth of young workers with the required levels of common sense.

The survey, carried out by education company, Pearson revealed eight in 10 businesses felt teens should be taught greater practical skills alongside academic subjects at school.

Rod Bristow, president of Pearson UK, said: "Young people need to have an understanding of the context that business operates in and able to apply their learning.

Communication skills, team working, eye contact and positive body language are all the skills you get in the course of practical learning."

Vocational education is regarded as crucial for the Government's plan for private sector recovery, with a staggering three per cent of businesses surveyed believing academic subjects alone to be most important to the nation's economic recovery.

Certainly the practical skills of young employees have been of great benefit to areas enjoying rapidly growing economies. Regions such as Asia and Latin America rely heavily on their younger workforce.

BT's head of skills, Andy Palmer, added: "Employers require young people with not only the correct level or academic qualifications but the practical skills needed in the workplace. Business and education engagement can improve, which in turn will benefit young people and help employers recruit the relevant skilled workforce."

With such a shortage of young employees with the required levels of common sense, HR departments up and down the country are under increasing pressure to source and add to workforces.

For optimised business intelligence many businesses are implementing HR software as a means of controlling turnover, headcount, absence analysis, recruitment analysis, staff training and more. In terms of administration it enables HR departments to hold all employee information in one place - from work permits to accident reporting.

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