Industry News
GCSE results and industry concern
Posted on 23rd August 2007
It is another day of celebrations for many families across Britain as a record number of GCSE entries receive grades of A* to C, despite a small fall in overall passes.
The Joint Council for Qualifications announced today's GCSE results show the proportion of entries gaining good grades has risen to 63.3 per cent. It also claimed there had been further improvements in English, maths and science as more children were sitting exams.
However, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) claimed the upward trend is "masking a deterioration" in the basic skills of those who enter the workforce aged 16.
It claimed small firms are forced to spend several weeks educating school-leavers which reduces businesses' productivity.
FSB education chairman Colin Willman said: "The skills that businesses need from school-leavers are literacy, numeracy, punctuality, communication skills and an ability to be well-presented."
He added proposals to keep young people at school until they turn 18 would achieve nothing if students were not taught the basics.