Friday 19 Aug 2011 @ 10:16
WiredGov Newswire (news from other organisations)
WiredGov Newswire (news from other organisations)
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CBI REACTS TO THIS YEAR’S A-LEVEL RESULTS
The CBI yesterday responded to the 2011 A-Level results and commented on language skills, further education and training.
In congratulating students and teachers for their hard work, Dr Neil Bentley, CBI Deputy Director-General, said:
“We’re encouraged that more people have heeded the call from businesses to study A-Level maths and science, but overall numbers are still far too low and must increase further to meet employer demand.
“There is already a skills gap emerging in this area with over 40% of companies saying they are having difficulty recruiting people with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills.
“Strong exports performance in emerging markets will be crucial to driving our economic recovery, so it’s positive news that the number of young people studying Chinese has gone up.
“Companies will need many more people with strong language skills to help them enter new markets like China in the future.
“Those young people who choose to study degrees can be confident that businesses need their skills. CBI research shows that by 2017, 56% more jobs will require people to hold a graduate-level qualification.
“For people who choose not to go on to university, businesses offer a wide range of vocational training options, such as apprenticeships and work placements, which are hugely valuable and well-respected in the work place.”
A copy of the recent CBI / EDI Education & Skills Survey, which covers the views of businesses on many of these topics, is attached.
Notes to Editors:
The CBI is the UK's leading business organisation, speaking for some 240,000 businesses that together employ around a third of the private sector workforce. With offices across the UK as well as representation in Brussels, Washington, Beijing and Delhi, the CBI communicates the British business voice around the world.
Media Contact:
CBI Press Office on 020 7395 8239 or out of hours pager on 07623 977 854. Follow the CBI on Twitter at: www.cbi.org.uk/twitter
