One in three adults in the UK regrets not having got better qualifications while at school, according to a Learning and Skills Council (LSC) survey.

More than a quarter (28%) of the 2,000 respondents said they did not work hard enough while they were at school and felt they were now living with the consequences.

Many - 35% - had opted to go back to college to get more qualifications and were reaping the rewards. Almost a third (30%) of those who had completed retraining said it had made them more employable and 17% had got a pay rise. While 26% said their job was more rewarding as a result of retraining.

Julia Dowd, from the LSC, said: "Unfortunately, in today's competitive world, it's highly unusual for people to follow the likes of Alan Sugar and Richard Branson and achieve great success without any qualifications. Now, the best chance anyone can have is to achieve at least five good GCSEs, or a Level 2 diploma.”

The survey comes just days after Chancellor Gordon Brown called on businesses to address their responsibility to train staff. As reported on TrainingZONE Brown asked firms to sign a skills pledge to get all staff up to level 2 – the equivalent of five good GCSEs.