Battle to bridge skills gap as business looks to the future

HOUSE PRICES are rising in many parts of the country, the economy is picking up and the latest job market figures are encouraging, with UK unemployment falling to its lowest level in nearly six years.

If it’s not quite cause to crack open the champagne it does at least seem as though the dark days of recession are behind us. But beneath the green shoots of economic recovery following the biggest slump since the Great Depression, there’s a fear that dead roots might be lurking.

Sustainable jobs and business growth are what powers a prosperous society and business leaders believe the recruitment of young people is crucial to this. However, a new report, published today by The Prince’s Trust and HSBC, warns that the UK faces a nationwide skills crisis unless urgent action is taken.

According to the study, three-quarters of British businesses believe a significant skills crisis will hit the UK within the next three years, with many predicting this will happen in the next 12 months. The fear, too, is that skills shortages will not only slam the brakes on the UK’s economic recovery it could even cause businesses to fold.

The report, based on interviews with more than 600 business chiefs, also reveals that more than two-fifths are already experiencing skills gaps within their organisations and over half are finding it difficult filling some vacancies.

Given the fact that 817,000 young people in Britain are struggling to find work this is not only frustrating but a dreadful waste.

“It is deeply concerning that employers are struggling to fill vacancies when we have hundreds of thousands of unemployed young people desperate for work,” says Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Prince’s Trust.

“The current economic recovery is encouraging, but in order to sustain this growth, the UK needs to invest in the next generation to avoid a skills vacuum in the future, which threatens to hamper economic growth. We are urging businesses to take action now to up-skill the workforce of the future to prevent the bubbling skills crisis from boiling over.”

There is some good news, though, with more than 70 per cent of businesses reporting increased demand for their services over the past 12 months. The CBI says organisations like The Prince’s Trust play a critical role in helping plug the skills gap and equipping young people with the knowledge and skills they need to get on in the workplace.

The youth charity aims to help 58,000 unemployed young people this year, offering vocational training in sectors with identified skills shortages such as construction, retail and logistics.

Dominic Davis-Eaton is one of those it has helped. He had a difficult childhood and was bullied at school which left him angry and depressed. Despite overcoming the bullies and making it to college he began suffering panic attacks and reached such a low ebb that he attempted to take his own life.

However, he kept going and heard about a scheme involving The Prince’s Trust and NAViGO, a mental health services provider for the NHS. He joined a work placement programme which convinced him to use his experiences to help people with mental health problems.

He impressed the staff so much he was offered a job. For Dominic, the opportunity to learn new skills changed his life. “Finally someone had put their trust in me and I had something that I cared about and that I could work towards. Hopefully I will attend university at some point in the future, as I would like to eventually work in support work, counselling and mental health services to help other people who are going through what I went through.”