Britain ‘SLEEPWALKING’ into Brexit as businesses and workers UNPREPARED
BRITAIN could be “sleepwalking into becoming a low-skilled economy” that is unprepared for Brexit, experts have warned.
Workers are not being trained properly by their companies
Two decades of underinvestment have left UK workers lagging well behind competitors on at least four skills sets - including literacy and maths, according to a report.
Learning development is also lacking along with digital skills, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.
Now the body has criticised the government and top businesses for putting the country at risk of being unprepared for leaving the European Union.
England and Northern Ireland rank in the bottom four OECD countries
The damning comments come in response to the Government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper and highlights multiple failings in the UK’s skills system.
England and Northern Ireland rank in the bottom four OECD countries for literacy and numeracy among 16-24 year olds.
While the UK as a whole is the worst of 19 countries in terms of young peoples’ computer problem-solving skills.
Our report should serve as a real wake-up call for the Government to break with the past two decades of failed skills policy
And UK employers have been revealed to spend less on training than any other major economies - with the gap widening since 2005.
Lizzie Crowley, skills adviser for the CIPD and co-author of the report, said: “This is a sobering analysis of the state of skills in the UK.
“Our report should serve as a real wake-up call for the Government to break with the past two decades of failed skills policy and set the UK on a new course that delivers the right results for individuals, organisations and the economy as a whole.
UK employers have been revealed to spend less on training
"While more efforts are being made to reform education, it’s clear that there needs to be a much greater emphasis on learning and development in the workplace.
“As we move towards Brexit, and possible restrictions on overseas talent, it’s crucial that government works in partnership with education providers and businesses to address these deep-rooted issues that continue to blight individual and business potential.”
The CIPD is now calling on the Government to increase funding for workplace training and put skills at the heart of the country’s industrial strategy.