Are school leavers employable?

Two of Britain's top bosses, Sir Stuart Rose (Mark's and Spencers) and Terry Leahy (Tesco) have slated school leaver's basic education and skills when they come into their organisations.

Sir Stuart said: 'They cannot do reading. They cannot do arithmetic. They cannot do writing.'

A major poll by the charity of around 2,000 business leaders over 18 months found the education black hole was their second biggest headache after the recession.

Many young people simply do not have the ' employability', lacking skills from reading and writing to punctuality, presentation and communication, it found.

Yesterday business lobby groups also weighed in. Stephen Alambritis, from the Federation of Small Businesses, said many bosses spend 'two to four weeks' helping to educate young people when they join the firm.

Tesco boss, Sir Terry recently said: 'As the largest private employer in the country, we depend on high standards in our schools. 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. This is before they can start teaching them about the job they have been hired."

A recent CBI study found that 52 per cent of employers are dissatisfied with the basic literacy of school leavers and 50 per cent with their basic numeracy.

A similar amount said some teenagers are 'unable to function in the workplace', claiming they cannot make simple calculations.

The upshot of all this is the skills and knowledge gap that exists in society today.

Therefore it should be everyone's goal not only to gain the knowledge to pass exams, but to develop both the hard skills and soft skills needed to work in the 21st Century.

Basics like reading, writing and counting are essential as are timekeeping, attendance, and dressing smart.

Remember there will be hundreds of people going for the jobs, careers and professions that our pupils want. So you guys have to be at least equal if not superior in attitude and determination to compete.

It all starts in school, and remember the old adage: "There is no substitute for hard work!"