No longer can we take an applicant's grades and qualifications as shorthand for what they are capable of. But with each successive Government's changes to the education system, mistrust between business and education has increased.
The shake-up of GCSEs in favour of a system that will focus on tougher exam questions and particularly challenging extension papers for brighter students is welcome and will benefit students academically. However, schools still need to do more to equip students for the working world and start thinking that the outcome of leaving school is getting a job, not just a qualification.
Employers have long been of the opinion that exam results bear no relation to the real talents and skills of young applicants. Yet at the same time, students have been led to believe that good exam results are going to guarantee them a good job. We hear from many of our clients that they are surprised by the standard of the student applicants who show excellent exam results, but have no idea of where their true skills lie and often have false expectations of the working environment.
While I believe that the education changes are a positive step towards correcting a system that some think clearly wasn't working, I also believe that more needs to be done to encourage schools, and by default students, to be more business-minded in their approach. This would not only supplement the usefulness of an improved examination system, but would also reassure employers that school leavers are capable of hitting the ground running.
At present, many schools lack the commercial experience to give students an understanding of the business world and fail to impart the message that the skills required by employers are very different from the skills required by exam boards.
As an example, the traditional career guidance given in schools provides support on things like interview skills and CV writing but fails to make the final link between education and work to help young people identify a career they are suited for. This lack of self-awareness is frustrating for both HR professionals and school leavers, as both camps waste valuable time and resources narrowing the field.
One of the things I really feel is vital is to help students understand what careers they are individually suited for, and to see the bigger picture instead of just their exam grades.
As one of our clients, Sharon Canny, assistant head of Loreto College, told us: "The biggest impact our assessments have had on our students is that it gives them an individual idea of themselves and an idea of how to go forward. As a result, the Year 10 students really saw their GCSEs and A-levels as a way forward rather than an end in themselves."
I truly believe that closer links between students and their future employees is one that will benefit us all.
Martin Reed, CEO of business assessment firm Thomas International
