Almost a quarter of workers in Sussex have either very basic qualifications or none at all, according to a Government-funded business group.

As GCSE and A-level students celebrate record pass rates, research commissioned by Sussex Enterprise showed 65,000 workers left school empty-handed.

A further 158,000 were qualified to NVQ level 1 or lower, meaning 22 per cent of the total Sussex workforce has literacy and numeracy skills expected of young teenagers.

The research, by analysts Step Ahead Research, also showed that 41 per cent of employers in Sussex neither fund nor arrange any training for staff.

Lesley McCarthy, people development manager at Sussex Enterprise, said workers with limited skills often found it difficult to adapt when a business expanded.

She called on businesses to take steps themselves to improve the skills of the workforce to help meet projections for economic growth in Sussex of 2.6 per cent.

She said: "If businesses are to meet these projections, they must look carefully at the needs of their staff in order to ensure they can keep up.

"By not investing in training, businesses may be making the recruitment situation worse as highly motivated internal candidates do not have an opportunity to improve themselves.

"Existing employees, even those with basic literacy problems, can often be brought on much more quickly than managers realise as they have a good basic understanding of the company."

Sussex Enterprise's findings come as debate rages about the merits of GCSEs and A-levels and the possibility of introducing new exam systems.

Business leaders have long complained about the quality of school leavers and graduates, with some dismissing the current exam structure as meaningless. Sir Digby Jones, director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said: "Basic skills must form the bedrock of the UK's education system. Nothing can be more important for our country than bringing an end to young people leaving school unable to read, write and add up.

"I want to see the Government both setting and meeting ambitious targets on skills. Let's get the basics right and also stretch the brightest pupils so they achieve their full potential."

Meanwhile members of the Forum of Private Business were scathing about the readiness of university graduates for the workplace, with half rating graduate recruits "average or poor".

Chairman Len Collinson said: "This shows that basic educational and social skills of graduates - who should be the educational cream of our younger generation - are mediocre when it comes to them being prepared for earning a living.

"It is worrying to see the lack of basic skills is not just confined to school leavers. It supports our view that universities should provide opportunities for students to learn about preparing for the world of work."

Tuesday, August 30, 2005