Basic skills and small business competitiveness: some conceptual considerations

Considers how basic skills affect competitiveness, particularly that of small businesses, and the effectiveness of some facets of recent policy initiatives directed at increasing the level of basic skills. Economic performance is seriously threatened by low standards of basic skills. Basic skills are an element of competitiveness because they are connected with personal development, occupational skills, and information technology skills. The application of market and system failure models offers some insight into the levels of basic skills training provided by employers. It is suggested that there is a substantial way to go before employers are firmly persuaded of the competitiveness benefits of undertaking more investment in basic skills training.