Employers take great pride in the civic activities of their staff. They recognise that people gain huge benefits from volunteering in a wide range of areas. Such activity has a major benefit to their approach to their career and enables them to obtain new knowledge and skills that contribute to their paid work.
Yet, when it comes to looking at the qualifications of new, younger workers, they are painfully aware that such experiences are rarely captured by the assessment system. Employers consistently tell me that the national assessment system is too narrow in its scope. Some essential skills and attitudes that they deem essential for a productive and fulfilling life, were simply not covered. They believe that the focus must be much wider than just delivering what their businesses required. There needs to be an emphasis on a deep understanding of the link between lifelong learning, reskilling and regeneration for a successful economy.
