BUSINESS leaders want to keep close links with the education authorities to help improve standards. Following the recent publication of A-level and GCSE results, business leaders in the UK have expressed concerns about school leavers’ literacy and numeracy skills. There is also scepticism about proposals to replace exams with the baccalaureate-style diploma because of the disruption such a major reform would have.

‘Although GCSE and A-level results seem to improve year on year, there continues to be concerns within the business community about the numeracy and literacy skills of students coming out of the education system,’ said Institute of Directors chairman Tony Gallienne.

‘In Guernsey, there are ongoing efforts to improve the situation both within the school system and through links with business. For our part, business representative organisations such as the IoD are looking for increasing dialogue and partnership with the education establishment to agree on and work with strategies that can improve standards.’

He said that many businesses were coming to appreciate that learning, training and development of employees was for life.

‘Business therefore has to play its part too, but it looks to the school system to give people the basic skills and this is not happening to a sufficient degree.

‘It is appreciated, however, that this is probably not just a school issue but also a social and cultural issue and therefore needs to be tackled on more than just one front.’

He added that as far as the schooling system was concerned, the solution was not necessarily a structural change to, for example, the baccalaureate system.

‘It is more a matter of ensuring that the basics of teaching reading, writing and arithmetic are sound, within whatever educational framework exists,’ he said.

Chamber of Commerce director Mike Collins added that bringing in the baccalaureate system would be a revolutionary change, but that the system was good from a social point of view.

‘In Guernsey we can’t change overnight and there would be so many changes, so we should take out the good things and incorporate them into the current system,’ he said.

He said that local businesses wanted people with good traditional skills and who were capable of being further trained in particular areas, such as accountancy.

‘From a general point of view we want well-educated people with good social skills. I would rather businesses had some input in the training to make sure the education being received is good.’

He said that a lot of money was spent on education, but it has never really been established how many people come back to the island to find employment.

He acknowledged that some of the more traditional subjects were going out of fashion and that there were a lot of ‘soft’ subjects available. Equally, many people find that the course they take does not relate to finding a job and they have to be further trained and change direction.

Careers advisers were at secondary schools yesterday to meet students who did not do as well as they had hoped.

Careers adviser Sarah Stonebridge said many students had an idea of what their results would be beforehand: ‘We have been very quiet – hopefully this is positive news. But, if there is anyone who needs our help, they can come and see us.’

* The Careers Service can be contacted on 710821.