OREANDA-NEWS. Steve Holliday used speech at CBI Education conference to encourage more businesses to help close the skills gap

Students who have four or more employer contacts during school will be five times less likely to be NEET (not in employment, education or training)

There are 10 people chasing every one single job in culture media and sports, yet every year there's a shortfall of 30,000 graduates needed for engineering roles.

Businesses need to work with schools to provide real insights into the breadth of opportunities available in the world of work

National Grid CEO Steve Holliday will be using a speech at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Education Conference this morning (Tuesday September 9, 2014) to again call for greater business involvement in schools.

The energy boss, who is Chair of the Talent and Skills leadership team for Business in the Community and also Chair of the country's largest Government backed Employer Ownership of Skills scheme (EEIP) says National Grid and other key business have to get more proactive if the skills crisis is to be averted.

"There are 10 people chasing every one single job in culture media and sports, yet every year there's a shortfall of 30,000 graduates needed for engineering roles. Add to that nearly a million young unemployed and you can see where the disjoin is," he says.

"There's a wealth of really interesting, exciting and well paid jobs out there, but young people just don't know about them, or they have an incorrect perception of what that job entails. It's vital for businesses to play an active role in providing real insights into the breadth of opportunities available in the world of work, helping align young people's aspirations and future opportunities.

Speaking to a business audience at The Royal Society, Mr Holliday will encourage more companies to get involved in schemes that get businesses into schools, such as Business in the Community's Careers Lab programme, City Year and Movement to Work.

He feels a more active partnership with education is vital to grow British industry and improve the economic prosperity of the UK as a whole.

"According to a report by the Education and Employers Task Force, students receiving four or more employer contacts during school will be five times less likely to be NEET (that's not in employment, education or training), they will receive an 18 per cent wage premium in work and will be two-and-a-half times more likely to be confident about finding a job. That's an incredible statistic for just 4 employer contacts.

"Over the next 10 years 60% of all new jobs created in the UK will need science, technology, engineering and maths skills, yet not enough school children succeed in these areas. Of those that do, less than half continue pursuing engineering disciplines into apprenticeships or university, and then to work."

National Grid is starting to see a return on investment in school programmes. Some of the students enrolled in this year's 'alternative to university' Engineer Training Programme were inspired to work for National Grid after taking part in a week-long work experience programme for 12 to 14-year-olds prior to choosing their GCSE options.

As well as offering apprenticeships, the engineer training programme and graduate placements, National Grid also run traineeships for the young unemployed and people with disabilities such as Autism to help them get find permanent paid employment.