Monday 10 July 2017

Greater emphasis on technical education vital for London to remain competitive say London businesses

More needs to be done to improve technical education, including increasing funding levels, according to a new survey by London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).

In a poll, conducted by ComRes on behalf of LCCI, an overwhelming majority (70%) believed the quality of technical education in the UK is not currently good enough.

An even greater number (82%) said they thought funding for technical education should be increased.

LCCI has called on the Government to guarantee high-quality work placements for students pursuing a technical route as well as prioritise new 'T-Levels' in digital and technical areas to help meet the demands of the UK industry and support young people into long-term sector careers.

Chief Executive of LCCI, Colin Stanbridge, said: "These findings show there is a real need for strong technical skills in the workforce and employers are clearly not seeing that.

"We also know that employers are struggling to recruit sufficiently skilled workers across the board, and that many European workers are leaving the UK ahead of Brexit.

"The upshot is while we do very much still need EU migrants in the London workforce, we also need to be providing an improved level of technical education and inevitably that will require and increased level of funding."

Earlier this year the Government announced it planned to promote technical education by providing new qualifications in 15 sector areas where substantial technical training is required, such as construction and transport.

ENDS

Media contact
Katharine McGee
T: +44 (0)20 7203 1897
M: +44 (0)7827 241528
E: kmcgee@londonchamber.co.uk

NOTES TO EDITOR:
1. London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) is the capital's largest and most representative business organisation, with members ranging in size from multi-national companies to SMEs and sole traders.
2. Colin Stanbridge, Chief Executive, is available for further comment and interview.
3. ComRes surveyed 530 London business leaders between 23 May and 19 June 2017.
Data was weighted to be representative of all London businesses by company size and broad industry sector. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Data tables are available at www.comresglobal.com