Sandy Maxwell says the graduates whom the CII is targeting don't have sufficient numeracy and literacy skills
' Talent and skills go hand in hand. It's no good attracting talent if the quality of the talent on offer is deteriorating year after year.
It's difficult to see how the CII could have done more to attract graduates. But you can't help thinking that, while CII director general Sandy Scott and his team have led the industry horse to water, whether it drinks or not, is open to debate.
There is perhaps a certain irony, though, in the fact that the CII is feverishly targeting graduates at a time when the literacy and numeracy of graduates, not to mention their linguistic skills, are under fire from all sides.
Last week's Leitch report, Prosperity for all in the Global Economy: World Class Skills, represents a vote of confidence for the CII's talent initiative. It makes sobering reading:
And the UK ranks second-lowest in the EU for linguistic skills, with only 30% having a working knowledge of a second language.
Crucially, the Leitch Review calls for employers to commit voluntarily to train their employees at work and become more involved in apprenticeships. The government will support employers by creating a new Commission for Employment & Skills.
This goes a long way to addressing CBI director general Richard Lambert's concerns: "Employers find much of the available publicly-funded training irrelevant and individuals are not offered the support they need."
Potentially, the UK economy could benefit by £2.5bn a year from improving its skills base.
As CII deputy president Lord Hunt has warned: "If we fail to upgrade our skills, we are condemning ourselves to a long and lingering decline." IT
