Breadcrumbs
Those joining the job-market for the first time in need of help with maths and English
May 2010
The Times reported in April the need felt by company bosses to help those joining the job force with their maths and English.
A recent report by the CBI (the Confederation of British Industry) indicated that more than half of employers thought young people applying for jobs were in need of further help and training to perform calculations and understand written instructions. This issue was also echoed by two well known business leaders – Sir Terry Leahy, chief executive of Tesco and Sir Stuart Rose, ex-chairman of Marks & Spencer who have both spoken publicly about the difficulty of finding sufficiently literate and numerate recruits.
Ways to bridge the academic to vocational learning gap are being discussed and the QCDA (the regulatory body for public examinations) will launch a new ‘Functional Skills’ qualification in the new academic year which will go some way in assisting school leavers in applying academic skills in the workplace.
The Student Support Centre, which provides simply programmes to cover maths, English and reading, could be another way to assist those in need. Their home based DVD tuition programmes and associated materials also allow users to plug gaps in their knowledge and they have the additional benefit of allowing students to learn at their own pace.
Whilst particularly attuned to assist children of school age, having been designed to mirror the way in which children are taught in schools, the ‘simply’ home based learning programmes could therefore be another alternative to help those joining the job market.
The Student Support Centre has helped guide students through these subjects from Key Stage 1 right through to Key Stage 4, helping students improve their English and maths skills across the UK.
For further information about The Student Support Centre, please call the freephone number on 0800 999 6 999 or visit www.student-support.co.uk.
