Frustrated with England's education system, Simon Biltcliffe spends a lot of time training new hires at his marketing firm in the "soft skills" he and many employers say the country's sluggish economy badly needs.
Finding that new starters often struggle to think on their feet, he sets them workplace challenges to learn to solve problems at pace and in teams. Many don't adapt, leading to high attrition after three- and six-month reviews.
Across Britain, Biltcliffe's frustrations are shared by businesses who say the nation's schools, technical colleges and apprentice schemes are not turning out the workers they need, from software coders and designers to skilled machinists.
"There needs to be a step change," Biltcliffe said, speaking at the offices of Webmart - which advises clients on the carbon footprint of their marketing operations - in an industrial estate in Barnsley, a former coal town in northern England. Neighbouring businesses include an IT security firm and other companies far removed from the region's mining past.
