Retail giant highlights importance of gaining key workplace skills
20 November 2009
"Recent concerns from some of the UK's biggest private employers in the retail industry, about the lack of school leavers' basic numeracy and literacy skills, have sparked controversy in the education sector," says NCFE's chief executive, David Grailey.
Never has the importance of learning basic workplace skills been so apparent following strong concerns from supermarket giant Tesco's chief executive, Sir Terry Leahy, who says that the standards in some UK schools are ‘woefully low'.
David added: "Programmes like NCFE's Get Set for Work teach students aged 14-19 the key skills needed to enter the workplace, so that private employers don't have to waste time and resources on re-training school-leavers.
"I would like to echo the thoughts of the British Retail Consortium, who commented that our education system desperately needs to equip young people with the right mindset and skills they should already be proficient in upon gaining employment - and that's what Get Set for Work courses aim to do.
"Employers should not be forced to pick up the pieces, 40 per cent of whom say that they are concerned by some of their employees' numeracy and literacy capabilities. School leavers should be able to enter the workplace, be able hit the ground running straight away and look forward to a bright future."
