Employers are concerned about school leavers' basic skills

A third of Confederation of British Industry (CBI) members say they have had to pay for extra English and maths lessons for 16 to 19 year olds.

The poll showed 37% of CBI members were not satisfied with school leavers' English and maths skills, up from 34% last year.

And 46% were unimpressed by youngsters' "self-management" skills.

Four in ten firms felt students had a poor level of business awareness.

The CBI claims the education system is failing young people, leaving them unprepared for the world of work.

Failing to make the grade

The CBI has already expressed scepticism about government plans to abolish A-levels and GCSEs and replace them with a Baccalaureate-style qualification.

This was proposed by the government's working group on 14-19 Education headed by former chief schools inspector Mike Tomlinson.

Standing at the sidelines carping and criticising is the easy option Chris Keates, NASUWT

But company bosses fear the disruption caused by such a major reform could distract schools from tackling poor literacy and numeracy.

"Too many school leavers are failing to make the business grade," said CBI director-general Digby Jones.

"A fundamental working knowledge of English and maths provides a vital foundation for every day-to-day business task.

"Employers are left to pick up the pieces and the bill, with many resorting to basic training to compensate for the short-comings of an education system that they have already paid for through increased business taxation."

Mr Jones raised concerns about the number of young people who did not understand the importance of being "well turned-out" for work.

Improving performance

The Department for Education and Skills defended the government's record in raising standards in schools.

"We want the same as the CBI - pupils to come out of school with the basics," a spokeswoman said.

"And the fact is that there are more pupils now doing just that, with far more getting good GCSEs than in 1997.

"We are turning round years of low performance in secondary schools, with more pupils now getting the chance to do well.

"But we need to go further and that's why we set up the Tomlinson Inquiry. A major part of that work will be to ensure every pupil has the tools to do well at work. It's good that the CBI is involved in that inquiry."

Teachers' unions reacted angrily to the CBI's criticism.

"I look forward to the day when a CBI survey contains other than critical comments about standards of education," said Chris Keates, acting general secretary of the NASUWT.

"Schools and teachers are committed to ensuring that all pupils leave with the highest possible standard of qualifications and are equipped to meet effectively the challenges of the world of work," she said.

"The minority of pupils who do not achieve these standards, and the number is decreasing, exemplify that, despite the best efforts of teachers, more work is needed to address pupil disaffection, fuelled by a relatively inflexible curriculum, which is a major contributory factor to undermining pupil achievement.

"Standing at the sidelines carping and criticising is the easy option."