Bosses: Schools must prepare pupils for work

BUSINESS leaders in Greater Birmingham have called on the UK to develop an education system that prepares pupils better for work.

The call follows last week’s publication of figures which showed a decline in the number of pupils achieving A*-C GCSE grades in the West Midlands.

Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) said it was vital that students were exposed to work alongside their academic studies.

Chamber chief executive Paul Faulkner said: “It was disappointing to see that the percentage of pupils in the West Midlands achieving A* - C grades declined by 2.9 per cent this year. However, this is in line with national trends and the region still performs competitively against other areas, London and the South East notwithstanding.

“The decline is also linked to the government’s attempts to encourage more pupils to achieve A* to C grades in maths and English which has seen tens of thousands of students who missed these grades last year resitting.

“Whilst grades are clearly important for young people, we also believe that the UK’s education system needs to perform better at preparing students for the workplace by enabling them to develop the softer skills that employers are increasingly looking for.

“Communication skills, the ability to work in a team, and problem solving skills are invaluable in the workplace and are particularly attractive to employ- ers. We believe that the best way to develop these skills is by exposing students to businesses and the world of work alongside their academic studies.

“Our research indicates that doing so increases students’ lev- els of awareness of career pathways and can motivate them to work harder in their studies.”

Elliot Mason, policy and patron adviser at the GBCC, said: “This week represents an important moment for these young people as they look ahead to the next stage of their education or training.

“For some, this will mean A-levels and taking the next step towards the university route, and for others now will be a time to consider the many options available around apprenticeships and technical qualifications.

“It is incredibly important that students and parents take the time to explore the full range of options available so that they can choose the one which best fits their skills and ambitions.”

The system needs to prepare students for the workplace by enabling them to develop the softer skills Paul Faulkner