"We should encourage employers as providers. The UK has a lot to improve on here," he told delegates at the first UK presentation of the OECD Skills Strategy held at the Work Foundation.
Schleicher said there were clear tangible benefits in countries where employers had got involved in education. "In Nordic countries employers sit on councils developing curriculums while in Germany 20% of the cost of secondary schools is born by employers. There have been clear benefits in skill sets, an increase in soft skills, students are more comfortable in the work environment and employers have gained loyalty benefits," he said.
OECD head of employment Mark Keese added: "It is important employers have a direct stake and bear some of the costs."
The comments come as the OECD today launches its Skills Strategy designed to help countries boost jobs and growth. One in five young people leave school in OECD countries without completing upper secondary education and, in many countries, a third of adults lack the minimum core skills needed to engage in further learning and get a good job.
Individuals with the lowest levels of foundation skills are 1.8 times more likely to be unemployed, 1.4 times more likely to report health problems and 1.5 times more likely to have low levels of general trust as individuals with the highest levels of foundation skills.
The OECD points out that, despite high unemployment rates, many vacancies remain unfilled owing to a lack of skilled workers. Employees are often mismatched with the work they do, it says.
"On average 30% of workers in European countries report that they have the skills to cope with more complex tasks at work while about 13% report they need more training to meet the demands of their job," the strategy says.
The comprehensive strategy outlines a systematic and approach to skills policies. It identifies a number of recommendations to encourage and enable people to learn through life, including improving the quality of learning outcomes by putting the premium on skills-oriented learning instead of qualifications-focused education upfront; involving employers and trade unions more closely in designing and delivering education and training programmes; helping employers make more effective use of their employees' skills and facilitating the internal and cross-border mobility of skilled workers.
"Employers pay for filling short term skills gaps but do not put in sustainable investment. They can do a lot more to foster environments that foster learning," said Schleicher.
"The UK's growth prospects depend heavily on how well it manages and develops the skills of its workforce," adds Keese. "Finding ways of optimising human resources, especially young people, will be key to addressing the challenge."
