Adventure creates character….New CBI reports '78% of employers want character'

 'First Steps – A New Approach for Schools' from the CBI emphasizes that young people need to leave school with skills for life…..

Damming our skills-and-knowledge based educational system, this report quotes “78% of employers rate attitudes as the most important factor when recruiting new staff.”. Surely time to release schools to deliver what employers want and our young people have passion for. Perhaps an un-British word?

CBI Education Campaign: Ambition for All in Schools

In its First Steps report, the CBI calls for an overhaul of the school system to deliver for the country as a whole – and says that raising educational attainment could add a percentage point to growth

The report sets out a raft of measures that will revive our schools and ensure that they are developed so they are best able to help the UK compete against its international counterparts.

http://www.cbi.org.uk/campaigns/education-campaign-ambition-for-all/

What Adventure delivers/What employers want in their recruits:

Characteristics, values and habits that last a lifetime, the system should encourage young people to be Determined, Optimistic, Emotionally intelligent – this means helping to instil the following attributes:

Grit, resilience, tenacity, Self-control, Curiosity, Enthusiasm and zest, Gratitude, Confidence and ambition, Creativity, Humility, Respect and good manners, Sensitivity to global concerns.

“….far too neglected in the current debate – there is a set of behaviour and attitudes, a kind of social literacy that we (UK Education) must foster. An exclusive focus on subjects for study would fail to equip young people with these, though rigour in the curriculum does help. These personal behaviours and attributes – sometimes termed 'character' – play a critical role in determining personal effectiveness (success) in their future lives, and should be part of UK educational vision.

The second CBI report 'First Steps One Year On', Page 6, says:

“It remains the case, however, that the focus of the system – driven by the centre – will be on narrow definitions of success at 16, rather than on wider outcomes at 18, including attitudes and behaviours as well as exam results. This cannot be acceptable.”………….”The eco-system of a school should foster academic success, but also go beyond it to the development of the behaviours and attitudes that really set young people up for adult life (see table below). Employers want young people who are enthusiastic, confident, creative and resilient – not just exam robots.”