Small businesses are struggling to find school leavers with relevant skills, according to a new report from the British Chambers of Commerce.
Over half, 55% of the 2000 companies surveyed said they wanted to increase workforce numbers. But more than half also said it was difficult to find the right people.
Almost half of respondents (47%) would be “fairly” or “very nervous” when hiring a school leaver with A-levels due to a perceived lack of skills. Just 22% would be “fairly” or “very confident.”
When asked the same question regarding university graduates, only a third of small firms were “very” or “fairly confident” they would have the required skills, suggesting a lack of ‘real world’ experience may be the issue.
Director of Policy at the BCC, said: “Despite high levels of unemployment, many micro firms are frustrated by the quality of applicants for vacant roles. There is a real mismatch between business needs and local skills supply, with many businesses unable to find school leavers or even graduates with the right mix of skills.”
Claire Curzon, MD of Brighter Directions, a Strategic Marketing & Social Media consultancy spoke on Radio 4 earlier today to discuss the matter commenting “Recruitment is a tough stage in any business, its essential to find the right people that will continue to work hard to grow the business you have worked hard to build. Our main challenge with recruitment is a mixture between skill set and attitude towards the workplace.”
“An example of this is our latest recruitment campaign for a sales advisor which we had 67 applicants apply for. Because we are committed to various schemes including back to work and getting young people onto the career ladder, we offer all applicants an opportunity for an interview and skills assessment. Out of 67 applicants we had, 40 of them did not even bother to turn up for the interview or even notify us – this wasted valuable time out from our business and therefore, lost work and money which as a small business we cannot afford to keep doing”
“In addition to attitude and motivation to get into work, we have found that many of the applicants we saw still lack basic level skills like literacy and grammar, vital for use in a office environment like ours. This shows that some educational methods are still lacking”
Need marketing support or advice on social media for your organisation? Contact the professionals, Brighter Directions on 01246 252855.
