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Businesses want better literacy and numeracy standards

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Mon, 31 Oct 2011 5:48p.m.

Literacy and numeracy skills need to be a priority for the Government, a Deloitte-Business NZ survey shows

Literacy and numeracy skills need to be a priority for the Government, a Deloitte-Business NZ survey shows

New Zealand businesses want the Government to ensure new-entrants into the workforce are better prepared, better trained and have better literacy and numeracy skills, a Deloitte-Business New Zealand election survey shows.

The survey of around 1000 businesses, released at today’s election conference in Wellington, shows nearly 70 percent of businesses think school-leavers are not well prepared to be effective in the workforce.

On top of that, more than two-thirds of businesses are either unsure or think university and polytechnic graduates have not been trained to be effective when they get a job.

Around 720 businesses in the survey stated that the Government was not doing enough in the workplace to support trainees and those doing apprenticeships.

Deloitte chief executive Murray Jack says the survey has “highlighted concerns at the lack of investment in skills and productivity measures” by the Government.

He says the results combined with unemployment, particularly among youth, shows there is “clearly much more to do”.

The top productivity issue for 60 percent of businesses was for the Government to address and devote most of its resources to increasing literacy, numeracy and basic skill levels in their workforce.

In addition to that, a resounding 95 percent of the respondents want all secondary school students to have achieved basic numeracy and literacy skills by the time they leave school.

Skills and productivity survey results:

Are school leavers well prepared to be effective in the workforce?

> 68.4% - No

> 24% - Unsure

> 7.6% - Yes

Are university and polytechnic graduates well prepared to be effective in the workplace?

> 34.7% - No

> 32% - Unsure

> 33.3% - Yes

Should improving workforce literacy, language and numeracy skills be a priority for the Government?

> 86.1% - Yes

> 3.4% - Unsure

>10.5% - No

Is the Government doing enough to support apprenticeships and formal industry training?

> 72.5% - No

> 13.3% - Unsure

> 14.1% - Yes

Should schools ensure all school-leavers have achieved basic literacy and numeracy standards, attaining at least NCEA Level 1?

> 95% - Yes

> 2% - Unsure

> 3% - No

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Comments

14 Nov 2011 07:06p.m.

Andrew wrote:

Employers are notoriously unwilling to invest in their staff prior to employment, yet want staff who are ready from the get-go. Schools would like to complain of the same issue: far too many arrive at school with too few skills, too underprepared for school, lacking vital self management skills and, interestingly, lacking basic literacy skills. Employers who want just in time work-readiness are better to look at such ideas as Guilds and Apprenticeships. Someone, somewhere needs to take a long view, and invest accordingly.

02 Nov 2011 09:11a.m.

Seannachie wrote:

Given Nationals halving of apprenticeships,cutbacks in funding Early Childhood Education,cutbacks in Nightclasses, cutbacks in funding Universities and Polytechnics and cubacks in Industry Skills Training Programmes any expectation of improved educational standards under this government is at best a pipedream. Instead National is focussed on public/private partnerships under which the government builds schools on privately owned land so that John Key and his property speculation mates can milk the taxpayer and the parents of children for all they can get. Too bad the tertiary educational cutbacks have already resulted in higher debts for students and their parents and too bad the cutbacks have denied the opportunity for much needed upskilling. Just another blow to economic recovery led by a short sighted government hell bent on lining its own pockets at the expense of the rest of us.

02 Nov 2011 06:09a.m.

Ruz wrote:

I would like to see a survey undertaken to establish how well our businesses are being run. The anicdotal evidence would suggest that management skills are poor or uneven in most small to medium sized firms especially those that are owner operated.

31 Oct 2011 08:19p.m.

Perspicacious wrote:

There is no such thing as a 'level playing field' or 'tabula rasa' when it comes to children attaining education. Those who think that every person can attain to a similar standard are obviously ignorant of basic human psychology and epistemology. It is time that more basic and menial opportunities were created for those less mentally astute, perhaps the polytechs of yesteryear should be reinvented.