Opportunities to Export - Somerset Chamber of Commerce

British Chambers of CommerceChange of approach required to tackle youth unemployment despite good results, saysBCCJohn Wastnage, Employment and Skills Adviser at the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC), comments on the2013 A-Level results:“Many congratulations to all the students and teachers, whose hard work has delivered another excellent set ofacademic results. The end to perpetual grade inflation will go some way to restoring employers’ faith in A-levels.We are pleased to see more students taking science and maths, however it is concerning that there has been adrop in the number of foreign languages being taken at A-level.“It should of course be celebrated that academic achievement amongst school-leavers has remained high.However youth unemployment has risen in recent months and it is clear that there are far too many youngpeople whose potential is being undermined because they have not been taught the broader skills required tosucceed in the workplace - despite the strong desire of employers to hire and train them.“Those who didn’t get the results they wanted shouldn’t despair. Success is not dependent on academicachievement alone, and employers value hard work, a positive attitude, and skills that are relevant to theirbusiness. Apprenticeships can offer a better route to a highly skilled and well-paid job. But if we are to make astrong attempt to tackle youth unemployment we need to see more careers education in schools, more contactbetween pupils and businesses via work experience placements and employer visits, and for students to havebasic business skills when they leave school.”www.britishchambers.org.uk4Previous pageNext page