Lockdown generation ‘lack skills for work’

City grandee says the pandemic has deprived young workers of expertise that employers require

A POST-PANDEMIC generation of children and young workers do not have the basic skills required by workplaces, a top City grandee has warned.

Disruption to their education during Covid lockdowns deprived pupils of practical lessons that would have given them technical skills and vital work experience, according to Baroness Ruby Mcgregor-smith, the Conservative peer and former chief executive of Mitie, the outsourcing giant.

“If you think about doing more applied learning, that is very difficult unless you are together,” she said, describing the impact of repeated school closures.

A report published today by the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC), and authored by Lady Mcgregor-smith, warns that the challenges are not limited to Covid and threaten to cause significant challenges for Britain’s productivity for years to come.

Almost one in four children are absent from school for at least one school day in every 10, official figures reveal. This is “one of the most pressing issues facing England’s education system, impacting our ability to prepare young people for the world of work,” the BCC warned.

Schools closed their doors to most pupils in March 2020 when the first nationwide lockdown was enforced at the start of the pandemic, forcing many to learn online with parental support. Meanwhile, exams were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 and replaced by teacher assessments.

More than a third of pupils failed to secure a grade four or above – a “pass grade” – in GCSE English and maths last year, and youth unemployment is on the rise.

Lady Mcgregor-smith said employers, suffering from a major skills shortage in the wider jobs market, have noticed the impact on young recruits.

She added: “They don’t have the work experience – they haven’t had so much applied experience.”

Youth unemployment has risen by more than a fifth in a year, increasing to 12.7 per cent in the autumn, up from 10.5 per cent a year earlier.

A record 2.8 million working-age people have left the workforce due to long-term sickness, according to the Office for National Statistics, threatening the economy as rising numbers become unable to fulfil their potential.

Repairing the damage requires extra training from employers and an extra drive at schools to give pupils the skills they need, Lady Mcgregor-smith said,

“What matters is seeing people again. Building a rapport… is much easier to do in person than on a Zoom call.”