72% of businesses agree that they should be involved in supporting young people to gain skills and work experience – helping to address the need that they identify for improvement in work experience, vocational and practical education, and getting young people engaged with employers.
These are the findings of the latest Scottish Chambers of Commerce Skills Pulse Survey, released today, which was conducted in partnership with Skills Development Scotland and the University of Glasgow.
Commenting, Scottish Chambers of Commerce Chief Executive Liz Cameron said:
\'These survey results show that businesses recognise the importance of their role in making the necessary improvements happen, to ensure that the education and skills system provides young people with the skills and experiences needed take on and hold down a job, and to pursue a productive and rewarding career. Scottish businesses want to see improvements in the work experience offer, in vocational, technical and practical skills, and in young peoples\' engagement with employers while in education. Lack of work experience and lack of technical skills at the craft level were the biggest issues employers identified when they reported finding vacancies hard to fill.
\'SCC recognise that improvements are taking place to the education and skills system to ensure that it better meets the needs of businesses. For example, the roll out of the Certificate for Work Readiness provides young people who need some work experience to get them onto the first rung of the career ladder with the opportunity they need, and modernisation of Scotland\'s careers services should provide all young people with realistic, up-to-date information about the opportunities available to them in the future, and the skills to make the most of these.
\'This survey shows, in a finding that ties in with what businesses have been telling us recently in our Quarterly Business Survey, that employers are expecting to grow their staff over the next year. With this expected increase in recruitment, it is therefore important, firstly, that improvements and modernisations are implemented swiftly. Equally important is that the education and skills system responds fully to employers, addressing both their concerns and their willingness to play their part.\'
