Schools are too focused on exam results and are not doing enough to equip students for the workplace, according to a recent survey.
Evaluated by the Career Colleges Trust – to mark the approval of ten new Career Colleges opening this year – 1,000 secondary school-aged pupils, along with 1,000 parents, gave their opinions on how they feel about the education they are receiving.
76 per cent of pupils said their school trains them just to pass exams and get good grades rather than preparing them for the world of work.
More than 80 per cent think it is important for the education system to be more career focused, however, a third don’t think they have been actively encouraged to undertake work experience as part of the school curriculum.
Another 32 per cent said they were unclear about what they actually want do to when they finish school.
Parents, too, admitted to not taking into account the vocational aspect of a school when choosing one for their children, with 32 per cent saying they chose based purely on its position in exam league table results.
Founder of the Career Colleges Trust, Lord Baker, described how the research highlights the extent of the problem that the UK is facing a huge skills gap across many industries.
He said: “If young people themselves are not feeling prepared for work, employers will continue to struggle with the recruitment issues that have become such a challenge for UK industry.”
By ensuring young people are equipped with the skills they need to go into the workplace with confidence, Lord Barker added: “This, of course, includes good levels of maths and English but extends far wider to practical, technical and employability skills.”
Chairman of the Career Colleges Trust, Luke Johnson, said the results have shown it is not just employers who feel young people are not prepared for work. He added: “This is simply not acceptable.
“We owe it to young people in this country to equip them with the skills they need to embark the pathway to a successful career.”
Media captionAndrew Plant looks around Banksy's latest exhibition
Graffiti artist Banksy has announced an exhibition at a derelict seafront lido in Weston-super-Mare.
The Dismaland show - which will also feature work from Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer and Jimmy Cauty - will take over the Tropicana site for five weeks.
"I loved the Tropicana as a kid, so getting to throw these doors open again is a real honour," Banksy said.
The show is his first in the UK since 2009's Banksy v Bristol Museum show which drew huge crowds.
Banksy described the show as a "family theme park unsuitable for children".
Banksy said the show "offers an escape from mindless escapism"
He said he had been motivated to work on the site which had been "popular with low income holiday makers" after peering through a gap in the fence in January.
Also on display is Mike Ross' Big Rig Jig
Many of the works require "audience participation".
"A dead princess is only complete when surrounded by gawping crowds with their cameras out, or the opportunity to photograph yourself pulling an amazed expression when a killer whale leaps from a toilet," he said.
The aerial view taken from the Ferris wheelPrime Minister David Cameron is given the Banksy treatment
"I guess you'd say it's a theme park whose big theme is 'theme parks should have bigger themes'."
North Somerset Council hopes the show will draw in crowds and boost tourism
Analysis - by David Sillito, arts correspondent
Dismaland is the official name but it's really Banksyland. Subversive, darkly comic and cocking a snook at authority there are good reasons why the mysterious Mr Banksy is so popular.
His stencils are well known but this is something very different - a pitch black antidote to the 'fun day out'.
The Julie Burchill 'Punch and Judy', the riot torn village, the 'magic castle' with a paparazzi and Disney centrepiece and, of course, an exit through the gift shop. Fun for all the family? No. Something Britain's seaside has never seen before? Yes.
Weston is bracing itself for crowds.
A preview of the exhibition is being held on ThursdayThe show opens to the wider public on Saturday
Speculation had been growing that the elusive Bristolian was planning an exhibition after a castle and sculpture made from tanker trucks were spotted above the walls.
Locals had been told a Hollywood company was filming there.
Nigel Ashton, leader of North Somerset Council, said: "We have been working closely with the organisers for months now and, for obvious reasons, have had to remain tight-lipped about the true nature of the event.
"In fact, only four people in the entire council knew what was really happening."
Banksy said the show was "certainly not street art"Visitors can see trademark Banksy juxtapositions such as a killer whale jumping out of a loo
At the Tropicana: Chris Kelly, BBC News
The transformation inside the Tropicana is quite stunning. It's still the run-down lido it has been for the past 15 years, but now there's art everywhere.
From the moment you walk through the fake airport-style security you get the dismal tone of Dismaland. Grumpy guards play the part astonishingly well.
Inside you see Banksy's Cinderella castle and his Grim Reaper dodgem, which dances to the song Staying Alive.
But you also get a heavy dose of other local and international artists. Damien Hirst makes contributions alongside others.
And the organisers are keen to point to the show's art credentials rather than it being just street art alone.
Dismaland will run at the Tropicana site for six weeks
The Tropicana outdoor pool and leisure facility closed in 2000 due to falling visitor numbers.
Since then, there has been various attempts to either reopen or demolish the structure.
The Trop Trust is trying to reopen the structure and bring it back into use.
Trust member Derek Mead said: "It has definitely put the Trop back in the forefront and I believe Mr Banksy was a swimmer in there in his younger days, so I think there could be an extra agenda here."
