Nearly half of London’s businesses (45%) say there is a skills shortage currently in the capital, according to the latest CBI/KPMG London Business Survey, and this is driving business to link up with schools and colleges.
Science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills are the most in demand, and 66% of firms reported difficulty recruiting skilled people, such as IT/technology (20%), creative (14%) and engineering specialists (12%).
The reposts says because of this half of the firms surveyed have established links with schools or colleges and of those businesses, half provide work experience to students and over a third provide careers advice and talks.
Lucy Haynes, CBI London Director, said: “Having the right skills to drive the capital’s economy forward is a core ingredient in the recipe for continued success. It’s important that businesses work with schools and colleges and ensure that London’s students are equipped with the skills firms want in their employees. Science, technology, engineering and maths skills are particularly valuable, given that London’s creative and technology sector is set to be a big growth contributor over the next five years.”
