Matching the Curriculum to the Needs of Industry Available to Purchase

A study has been made of employers′perceptions of the desired skills and values to be displayed by secondary school leavers in the Bristol area. Five major companies in a single locality provided the information by in‐depth discussions. These perceptions were translated into 20 identifiable skills. In a case‐study approach, the staff in a local comprehensive school were asked to indicate their judgement of the importance of each skill and asked to assess how well each skill was achieved in the school. The extent to which teachers′ ranking of importance and attainment matched those of industry are discussed. Schoolteachers tended to emphasise cognitive skill acquisition at the expense of affective skills. Skills relating to personal development and responsibility of the pupil were attained less well than companies hoped for.