Businesses are calling for a major overhaul of how workforce development is funded in order to create more skilled staff.

The report from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) shows that UK firms are dissatisfied with the way government subsidies are allocated.

The study recommends that training providers other than colleges are included in the funding scheme. It says that independent skills instructors are better able to work with business to produce flexible, specific training.

Bill Midgley, president of the BCC, underlined the problems facing the performance of UK business.

“For too long employers have been unable to find the right skilled people for their businesses. Our education system is simply failing our young people,” he said.

“We are seeing too many young people arrive at the workplace without the right skills, while employers struggle to find employees with the right higher-end knowledge that is needed.”

Announced in the recent Budget, the Chancellor has pledged to put £8bn towards boosting education in the state sector over the next five years.
Brown Backs State Education