Schools 'need to do more to teach students soft skills'

Schools need to be doing more to teach students soft skills such as teamwork, communication and confidence that can help them thrive in later life.

This is according to a new report from The Prince's Trust and HSBC, which has revealed a broad consensus among young people, teachers and those already in the world of work that soft skills are just as important to achieving success in life as good grades.

It was revealed that 27 per cent of teachers surveyed for the report believe that most of the students they teach do not possess all of the soft skills they will need to do well after school, with 91 per cent saying they think schools should be stepping up their efforts to help students to develop these skills.

This view is shared by young people themselves, with those surveyed rating soft skills just below maths and literacy - and above subjects like IT and languages - as the most important things to learn at school. 62 per cent said having these abilities will help them to get a job, while 43 per cent say they currently lack these abilities.

Meanwhile, current workers cited soft skills such as confidence, communication and reliability among the abilities that young people most often lack when entering the workforce, while 72 per cent confessed that they themselves did not have all the soft skills they needed to excel when they first started working.

Dame Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Prince's Trust, said: "Students, teachers and people who are in work agree that more needs to be done to ensure young people leave education with the confidence and skills they need to reach their full potential in the workplace.

"By working together to support them to achieve this, we can ensure the next generation of employees hit the ground running and make a formidable addition to the UK workforce."