Business owners need to work more closely with education if
they want to employ bright, motivated young people, according to small business
owner Jason Holt, who earlier this year conducted a government review into
apprenticeships in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Holt, who is CEO of jewellery company Holts Group and
founder of not-for-profit social enterprise Holt's Academy of Jewellery, was
responding to a call from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) for schools
in England to increase their engagement with small businesses. Research from
the FSB finds only 9% of small firms have taken on an apprentice in the past 12
months and that 42% believe an apprenticeship is not relevant for their
business.
"I would like to see schools preparing young people for
the world of work – and not just for university, as they do now. That means
regular visits from employers, more opportunities to undertake work experience,
in a broad range of sectors, and independent advice and guidance delivered by
people with hands-on experience of the workplace," said Holt.
"But it's not just down to schools. If business owners
want to employ bright, motivated young people, they too must take ownership of
the problem, working closely with schools, colleges and other education
providers to help young people develop the skills employers need," he
added.
The FSB's report, The Apprenticeship Journey, released last
week, says 69% of small firms want a greater emphasis on employability skills
in schools. By working with local businesses, schools can gain a better
understanding of what small businesses need from young people, the FSB
believes.
It adds that the more contact young people have with
business the better prepared they are for an apprenticeship and the workplace.
With 77% of the firms surveyed that employ school leavers saying they have poor
business knowledge, this would be a major step forward, said the FSB.
Two-thirds of small firms have never had any contact with
local schools or colleges. Many businesses are unsure about how to get in touch
and don't have the time to 'cold call', so it should be up to the school to
reach out to small businesses in the local area and build sustainable
partnerships with small businesses to provide this valuable knowledge, the
report says.
John Walker, national chairman of the FSB, said: "This
is a missed opportunity. The status of apprenticeships needs to vastly increase
in the eyes of young people, schools, parents and employers. Apprenticeships
need to be seen as of equal value to academic routes into the workplace.
"By encouraging business engagement earlier in the
schools system through careers guidance, work experience and mentoring, not
only would it improve people's opinion, but it would also mean that youngsters
can make an informed choice about their choice of career."
Holt said there was a strong case for pre-apprenticeship
programmes that bridge the gap between school and the workplace.
"This could take the form of a traineeship that helps
young people develop the necessary functional skills, like numeracy and
literacy, alongside employability skills," he said.
"Being an exemplary school is not just about getting
good A level results and education leaders shouldn't lose sight of their
responsibilities for developing young peoples' employability skills. But
changes to the way schools are measured and assessed will not happen
overnight," he added.
Source: 5 November 2012, HR Magazine by Sian Harrington
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