Young people lack the reading, writing and maths skills that employers want, according to new research from the Learning & Skills Network.

The research reveals that when recruiting a school or college leaver employers look for people who can read, write, do basic maths and show enthusiasm for work. However, only 13% of employers who had tried to recruit a young person said that they had always been successful. Many who failed to recruit a school or college leaver indicated that it was because candidates lacked literacy or numeracy skills, or did not have the right attitude to work.

The LSN's research report Employability Skills Explored asked what skills they would expect a young person who has just left school, college or a training scheme to have in order to be employable. Eight out of ten employers said timekeeping skills, 79% said literacy skills and 77% numeracy skills. When asked to rank a list of 14 skills in order of importance, employers ranked communication skills one, literacy two and numeracy three.

Employers were also asked to identify ‘deal breaker’ skills, or the skills that if not present would prevent them from selecting a young candidate for a job. 55% named literacy skills and 51% said communication skills. Enthusiasm and commitment were the next most frequently named, with 48% and 47% cited numeracy.

The survey also uncovered evidence of a generation gap in the recruitment of young people, suggesting that older recruiters are harder to convince that school and college leavers have the skills they are looking for. 62% of employers aged over 55 said they could not recruit the young people they need for their business. By comparison, only 26% of respondents in the 25-34 age bracket held the same view.

Commenting on the research, John Stone, Chief Executive of the LSN said, “Above all else, employers want young people who are looking for their first job to be literate, numerate and communicate well. Attitude is also important, employers want young job candidates to be good at timekeeping and show enthusiasm and commitment to work. This is a key issue that needs to be addressed if we are to equip young people with the skills they need for work and reduce levels of youth unemployment.”

(Courtesy the People Bulletin)