Manufacturers demand action over skills crisis

The move came after Prisk met with fierce concerns over the skills crisis during an appearance before the WM Leaders Forum. Exasperated Leaders Forum members told the minister they were eager to hire, but couldn't fill vacancies because of a drought in talented youngsters. Schools were producing candidates "who lack basic literacy and numeracy skills, were inarticulate and displayed a poor work ethic," Prisk heard. The Leaders Forum - represented by seven UK manufacturers - urged Prisk to take their concerns back to Westminster. A post-meeting letter to Prisk from the group stated: "It's unfair and unsustainable to expect businesses like ours to bring these candidates up to standard. We call on you to table a parliamentary debate..to discuss how industry and government can work together to solve this toxic shortage in core skills." Sign up to support the Leaders Forum's call for parliamentary debate here Sign the petition here The call for action came as youth employment hit 1.04million in Britain last month. Prisk acknowledged the skills gap and past failings in the education system. He told the Leaders Forum: "As a country, we have neglected the generation which is coming through, [they're] poor in maths, not that articulate, perhaps believing things are easier to achieve than they are." The coalition was determined to instil rigueur back into schools; Prisk stressed, citing the national curriculum review being led by fellow minister Michael Gove.