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Two thirds of employers who recruit 16-year old school leavers consider them to be well prepared for work, according to the National Employer Skills Survey for England (NESS).

The 2009 NESS report asked 79,152 employers about their recruitment and skills needs during the height of the recession. The survey was carried out on behalf of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills and revealed that 84 per cent of employers recruiting new graduates also found them to be well prepared. Roughly two thirds of employers provide training for their staff.

A minority of respondents said that their young recruits were poorly prepared for work. They put this down to either to a lack of life experience and maturity, or a poor attitude and personality, rather than a lack of specific skills. Among graduate employers roughly half of those who considered their employees poorly prepared cited a lack of required skills and competencies.

Chris Humphries, chief executive of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, comments: ‘Employers who actually have experience of working with young people seem to be much more positive about them than employers more generally. So whilst it is important to continue efforts to make school, college and university leavers as work-ready as possible, it is up to employers to leave their prejudices behind and ensure they make the most of this pool of talent.’

The number of employers reporting recruitment difficulties was also shown to have halved during the recession. There was a slight increase in employers with at least one member of staff who was not fully proficient at their role, a point the report says may be due to employers asking staff to perform more roles during the recession.'

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