Chief executive of Junior Achievement, Sue Cook, has welcomed the Department of Education and Children's public consultation inviting views on its strategy for preparing students for the workplace. 

As  head of a charity dedicated to helping the Island's young people gain the essential skills they need for when they leave full-time education Sue  has said, "historically the role of schools has not been to prepare young people for the world of work".  She said however that much could still be done to help young people develop a range of transferable skills valued by employers.

She believes the school curriculum for 14 to 16-year olds should include a balance of academic and vocational qualifications which can help young people develop core skills for the workplace.  Sue said "to help their employment prospects young people need to acquire a range of core competencies, such as teamwork, good communication skills and a sense of responsibility and ownership. It's also important they understand what's acceptable behaviour in the workplace, such as good time-keeping, being polite to customers and colleagues and dressing appropriately. "

I believe that with time allocated in the curriculum and some additional funding Junior Achievement could do much more to help the support the schools. In addition to the programmes run by Junior Achievement young people could also benefit from day release work experience opportunities with local businesses and volunteering within the third sector, all of which would make for good grounding for future career pathways."

She went on to say "Young people on the Isle of Man receive a very high standard of education but we need to do more to help students who leave school at 16. It is important that we don't make these individuals  feel like second class citizens and they believe that they have career opportunities."

Sue was one of the first people in the UK in the late 1980s to work as an NVQ Assessor for a Youth Training Provider. Working with 16 - 18 year olds she was part of a scheme that attracted government support to help young people who otherwise might not have gained full-time employment.  Sue said "The scheme was a huge success with over 80% of trainees being kept on once their placement had finished.  The  modern day equivalent is the apprenticeships offered by the Department of Economic Development and it is my hope that in the future these offerings will be expanded to include additional apprenticeships such as administration, retailing and I.T. "

To view and contribute to the consultation document visit www.gov.im/education