Employers bemoan school-leavers' lack of IT skills

The CBI's report hightlights "serious worries" about the level of IT skills among school leavers

UK businesses are struggling to recruit staff with science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) skills, according to a report commissioned by business lobbying group the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

According to the research, 45 per cent of employers claim they have difficulty recruiting Stem-skilled staff, while 59 per cent of businesses say they expect to have difficulty within the next three years.

Eighty-one per cent of employers believe that the priority for higher education institutions should be to ensure graduates are equipped with “employability skills”. Some 42 per cent of businesses want the government to implement steps to raise the quantity and quality of Stem graduates.

IT trade association CompTIA said that the CBI’s report highlights serious worries about the level of IT skills among young people entering work. Matthew Poyiadgi, European vice president at CompTIA, argued that the national curriculum simply does not recognise the importance of IT.

“English and maths are important, but so is IT - an inability to use a computer would be a bigger stumbling block for most than poor arithmetic,” he said.

“Yet there is still an attitude that it is a ‘new’ subject, not on a par with English and maths. This perhaps goes part way to explaining why fewer and fewer people are entering this exciting profession, which is so critical to the future of the economy.”

Poyiadgi added that he hopes the new government will take a close interest in IT education and focus on how it can better serve the needs of students, universities and business.

“I hope that the findings of this report will inspire them talk to businesses about the skills they require and to look seriously at how the education system can better equip students with the IT skills they need," he added.