Businesses identify worrying skills gap

Bosses in the Thames Valley are worried by a yawning skills gap which they cannot plug and complain of basic literacy, numeracy and even IT problems from students who have grown up with computers. 

More than half the employers questioned in a Confederation of British Industry Survey complained about the ability of existing employees to use computers and report they have to train people already in the workplace who cannot keep pace with the rapid development of technology.

The skills audit of 35 firms employing 1.7 million people between them makes grim reading. Literacy problems include not being able to write in sentences, spell correctly or use accurate grammar. In numeracy, the key issue is the inability to spot simple errors or rogue numbers.

Steve Rankin (pictured), CBI Thames Valley Regional Director, said: "A worrying number of employers have little confidence that they will be able to plug their skills gaps. In our new stock take of the region’s skills, too many firms also say poor basic skills are hampering customer service and acting as a drag on their business’s performance."