CHAMBER NEWS


Business and academia need closer engagement


Many companies are actively trying to close the skills gap between what employers need and school leavers offer. But there is room for significant growth in engagement between industry and academia. Despite the skills gap being a


perennial complaint of employers, a recent survey of East Midlands firms found that only about a quarter (26.8%) actively engage with schools. A similar number (25.6%) do


not engage with schools and have no plans to do so. Nearly half (44.6%) said they would consider engaging with schools in the future. Of those respondents engaging


with schools, 41% offer work experience placements, 29% take part in careers fairs, 26% offer business speakers, 16% engage in classroom-based teaching activities, 16% mentor pupils and a similar number offer mock interview training. Over a third (36%) of those


employers said they offered apprenticeships to school leavers but only 4.8% gave financial support and 3.8% offered work placements for teachers. Chris Hobson, Director of


Year, Social Commitment, Apprentice of the Year, Female Employee of the Year, Female Entrepreneur of the Year, Team of the Year and Small Business of the Year. Entries have to be in by Friday 5


January 2018. Entry is by nomination, but can be self-nominated. The winners will be announced at a glittering, ‘little black dress’ dinner on 2 March – coinciding with International Women’s Day. Jean said: “By highlighting their


contribution and telling their stories, hopefully we can inspire other women to pursue their business dream, which is why I would urge as many people as possible to send in nominations for this year’s awards.” Last year, Dr Sharon Redrobe,


CEO of Twycross Zoo – East Midlands Zoological Society, was named Inspirational Woman of the Year, chosen from dozens of nominations for the accolade.


Employers struggle to recruit suitably- skilled staff


business network November 2017 23


Policy at the Chamber, which carried out the survey, said: “What the results of the Quarterly Economic Survey for the third quarter of 2017 tell us is that despite employers complaining year after year about the employability of school leavers, there is plenty of room for growth in engagement. “Employers frequently tell us


they can’t recruit suitably-skilled staff and that many school


Chris Hobson


‘Despite employers complaining year after year about the employability of school leavers, there is plenty of room for growth in engagement’


leavers lack basic maths, English or the ability to answer a telephone or solve simple problems. “And yet three-quarters of


those same employers are not engaging with local schools, either at teacher or pupil level. This is something that needs to change, and quickly.” The same survey asked


businesses to what extent they had invested in improving resource-efficiency in the past year to reduce their carbon footprint. Just over a third (36.5%) of


respondents said they’d seen a small increase in spend in this area and 9.1% reported a significant increase.


However, 25.2% reported no


increase and 2.2% of firms had reduced spending in this area. Over a quarter (27%) said they didn’t invest in carbon footprint reduction. Chris said: “For many years, we


have been encouraging firms to invest in greener initiatives which can often lead to cost savings, so this result is particularly disappointing. This is another area where more work is needed because, ultimately, firms are missing opportunities to scrutinise the way they work and to make potential savings, which could enhance their overall productivity.” More positively, however, and


despite the uncertainty of Brexit, business remained buoyant and confident during the third quarter of the year. A net 29% of companies said they had seen performance improvements in UK markets in the third quarter of the year – up from 23% in the second quarter - and a net 28% expected further improvements in the fourth quarter – up from 25% three months earlier. Chris added: “The survey shows


good levels of confidence in the business community, despite the uncertainty caused by political machinations. “When you look at the


quarterly results of the State of the Economy Index you can see dips that correspond to political uncertainty. “This clearly shows that


business confidence dips during periods of political instability so we call on Government to ensure a period of stability so that business can plan for the future with confidence.”


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