The basic skills crisis in the UK has left teenagers without the skills even to get employed at their local supermarkets, Personnel Today has learned.
A training expert this week revealed that shops are struggling to find literate and friendly school leavers for entry-level jobs.
Skillsmart Retail, the Sector Skills Council for the retail sector, backed the Leitch Report’s call for more employer-led training in basic skills.
Anne Seaman, chief operating officer for Skillsmart Retail, told Personnel Today: “Retailers tell us they have a problem finding school leavers with employable skills. They see lots of 16- and 17-year-olds without basic reading and writing skills and without the right attitude or social skills.”
Anything that helped shops find employable young people would be welcomed, she added.
In his report earlier this month, Lord Sandy Leitch told the government that the UK was facing a “lingering decline in competitiveness” due to skill shortages.
He said the proportion of adults holding five grade A-C GCSEs or a vocational equivalent must rise from 69% in 2005 to more than 90% in 2020.
