ATL comment on CBI/Accenture Employment Trends Survey
ATL
| Association of Teachers and Lecturers
Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said: This report from the CBI and Accenture shows that businesses want to have it both ways. Whilst there is acknowledgement of a healthier and growing economy, employers are bemoaning the need to pay decent wages to attract a skilled workforce.
“We also know that the number of employees receiving on- and off-the job training has declined dramatically over the past 10 years. Perhaps employers should also consider investing in their workforce in order to develop the skills they need, particularly as the Government has slashed adult skills budgets to the bone, resulting in a loss of 1.3 million fewer adult learners over the past five years.
“ATL notes that fewer than one-in-six businesses (16%) believe that the new apprenticeship levy is the right approach to tackle the UK’s skills challenges and almost half expect it to be costly and bureaucratic. The research makes clear therefore, that ever mindful of profit margins, employers prefer the cheaper option of recruiting skilled workers from overseas, or moving activities overseas, rather than investing in young people in the UK. Employers’ attitudes result in an immovable NEET (not in employment, education or training) problem and a race to the bottom, as young people are forced to take lower-skilled, lower-paid jobs.”
