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Financial Times – December 2012
Sir, John Lloyd is right to highlight the risks to UK competitiveness when political and business leaders are unprepared for global challenges and their essential unpredictability (Business Life, December 24).
The university and business school courses he identifies are laudable, but can I assure him that, in terms of attempts to tackle this problem, there are even more “good deeds” being committed in this area?
Some of us are starting with a much younger age group. At The Day, we provide secondary schools and colleges daily with a range of classroom teaching materials based on analysis of stories in the news. We are now being used during tutor time and curriculum subject lessons in more than 600 schools and hope that this dose of regular morning debate about global issues, on an “apple a day” principle, will help equip an increasing number of pupils with awareness of international affairs (and UK politics).
The Association of Graduate Recruiters has told me that companies now actively look for trainees “anchored in the real world”, and that those who cannot assess and confidently discuss what’s going on in the world are at a disadvantage.
Those disadvantaged job applicants may end up competing for positions of corporate or political leadership, but they are just as likely to be the ordinary school leaver or graduate – probably more so. The mission to equip students to deal with an age of increasing complexity should not just be for the elite – it matters to the whole workforce.
Miranda Green, Editor, The Day, London W11, UK