The three Rs; a well-known and much-loved epithet for what many recruiters regard as essential when seeking the right candidate. But it seems that reading, writing and arithmetic skills are not too far off the likes of gold dust when it comes to filtering through the masses of fresh resources bursting out of schools, colleges and universities today. So much so that, according to the CBI, one in five companies are seeking help with restoring fundamental skills in their workforce.
Leeds Building Society was one of the latest firms to hit the news with its grammar gripes. Management have called on the support of a retired English teacher after Senior Executives struggled to unravel reports written by employees further down the ranks. It’s a far cry from an ideal situation; already-precious resources being spent on doing something that essentially should have been mastered at school.
To make it clear, while recent graduates and school leavers seem to be the focus of many of these reports, this certainly doesn’t seem to be an isolated problem – employees of all ages have been enrolling in the courses at Leeds Building Society.
Much of the blame is being placed on the UK’s education system. BT’s Chairman. Sir Michael Rake, labelled standards as a ‘disgrace’ while others claim that there’s simply not sufficient focus on improving standards of English. Wherever the issue lies, it needs to be fixed. But in the meantime, it’s great to see so many companies owning up to the problems that are so often regarded as a commercial taboo.
It goes without saying that this should not be a concern for employers today, however, the problem exists and can’t be ignored. If you would like to discuss writing training with Stratton Craig, contact Harriette Hobbs on 0117 9371 383 or email [email protected] to find out more.
Employers go back to basics with battle against poor grammar
