Introduction
Some familiar messages in this latest annual survey of employers’ views on education and skills sponsored this year by Pearson. Most reassuring of all is the fact that despite the continuing difficult economic conditions, employers remain committed to investing in skills in some form. Figures from the survey which was completed at the start of the year and covered over 540 employers of all types, point to the fact that over 80% of them, led by the private sector, plan to increase or at least maintain their level of investment in training. Employers have their gripes of course with slashing bureaucracy and improving the relevance of some vocational qualifications heading the list, but raising skill levels clearly remains an important priority
Context
This latest survey comes of course as the economy remains sluggish and forecasts downbeat. Growth in the words of the Governor of the Bank of England remains on a zigzag path while for unemployment, latest predictions suggest between 8.6% and 9.0% by year end. All of which has led to considerable agonising about how best to stimulate growth and what role education and skills should play in this. The Government remains committed to Plan A with the Prime Minister arguing in his recent speech on the economy that ‘deficit reduction and growth are not alternatives.’ Others are calling for a new high-tech industrial strategy as in the ‘Growth Factory’ proposed by a group of Coalition MPs while the Opposition has its own 5-point Plan. As the OECD puts it in its latest strategic skills strategy,“skills have become the global currency of the 21st century”
What messages stand out from this survey?
A number of clear themes continue to shine through. They include: the need for basic and employability skills whether amongst school leavers or graduates; the importance of STEM and language skills; growing support for apprenticeships, where employer engagement is up from 48% in 2008 to 63% currently; and a continuing demand for high-skilled employees generally. But some newer issues have started to emerge reflecting some of the changes going on in the education system at present. One is careers advice for young people, cited as inadequate by 64% of employers last year but by 72% this year and now dependent on a new service. A second is the primary curriculum where many of the essential skills and attitudes are ingrained and equally where change is afoot. And a third, is graduate recruitment which many employers, especially from big companies, fear could be hit following the introduction of tuition fees leaving employers having to consider alternative recruiting arrangements including direct from school or apprenticeships
Some specific headlines
- Raising standards in schools. Interest in seeing basic skills prioritised in primary education, and employability and technology skills in secondary education
- Careers Guidance. Recognition of the importance of this for young people, employers keen to support
- Working with schools and colleges. Range of relationships growing but clarification of role needed in some cases
- Working with universities. Strong relationships with much of the HE sector but concerns about employability skills of some graduates
- Apprenticeships. Employer engagement growing but many SMEs remain ‘outside.’ Barriers include: access to start-up info, red tape, relevance and flexibility
- Essential skills. Slight improvement perceived in literacy and numeracy levels amongst school leavers but acute problems continuing for those with low skill levels
- STEM skills. Continuing demand for STEM skills and desire to see greater emphasis on such subjects at school
- Graduates. Increasing numbers of graduate level jobs but some concern about any impact of tuition fees on long-term graduate numbers
Steve Besley
Head of Policy (UK and International)
Pearson Think Tank
@PearsonThinkTk