§ 26. Mr. FabricantTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with employers regarding the need for 16-year-olds with a competent command of English.
§ Mr. BoswellMy right hon. Friend has had no formal discussions recently, but he has noted the concerns of employers about basic literacy and numeracy standards identified in recent reports by the Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit. He is well aware how important it is to employers—and to our ability to compete as a nation—that school and college leavers joining the work force should be fully competent in their use of the English language.
This Government are determined to ensure that all school pupils learn to communicate effectively in spoken and written English. That is why our proposals to revise the requirements for national curriculum English were announced last month. The aim is to streamline and strengthen the present curriculum by defining clearly the essential skills which English teaching should promote.
The National Curriculum Council is now conducting the statutory consultation on those proposals, which will give all parties the opportunity to offer their views. Copies of the proposals will be sent by the NCC to the CBI and other employers' organisations.