Posted October 14, 200915 yr Wednesday, 14 October 2009 15:05 UK Tesco boss raps school standards BBC News Sir Terry said teachers should be allowed to focus on their jobs Standards in many state schools are "woefully low" and employers must "pick up the pieces", the boss of the UK's biggest supermarket chain has said. Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy, who is also an education adviser to the prime minister, said his company was particularly concerned about education. "As the largest private employer in the country, we depend on high standards in our schools," he said. The government said that secondary school standards had never been higher. "Sadly, despite all the money that has been spent, standards are still woefully low in too many schools," Sir Terry told the Institute of Grocery Distribution's annual conference. "Employers like us, and I suspect many of you, are often left to pick up the pieces. "From my perspective there are too many agencies and bodies, often issuing reams of instructions to teachers, who then get distracted from the task at hand: teaching children." 'Lacking basic skills' Sir Terry's views were echoed by other business leaders. John Cridland, director general of the CBI, said the Tesco chief's concerns were "shared by a wide range of the business community." CBI surveys have repeatedly found that employers are dissatisfied with the level of skills among young people. In 2008, 40% of those questioned said they were unhappy with the literacy and numeracy skills of school leavers - 17% had been forced to provide remedial help for school leavers. A CBI education and skills survey carried out earlier this year found that 40% of employers were concerned about the basic literacy and numeracy skills of their workforce. "That's why the CBI is putting so much effort into the partnership between business and education, to tackle these challenges," Mr Cridland added. The British Retail Consortium says employers are entitled to expect "an education system that equips young people with the right skills and mindset for the world of work" "Yet, retailers spend huge amounts on training school leavers, who often lack basic skills. Retailing provides a range of opportunities for improving skills and developing careers - vital to those the state has been unable to engage," says the consortium's business environment director, Tom Ironside. The government insisted that the quality of secondary education is high. "Standards have never been higher in our secondary schools. The vast majority of people working in education are on the front line, teaching in our schools," a spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said. "There are several non-departmental bodies, but it's clearly right and proper that issues such as exam standards are regulated by an independent body." Teachers' unions agree that standards are higher than ever, but say state schools would benefit from the same level of funding as the private sector. "The picture painted by Sir Terry Leahy, of woefully low standards in our secondary schools, is plainly wrong," says Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers. "While there is clearly always more that can be done in schools, standards in both educational attainment and teacher professionalism have never been higher, she added. Well the government and teaching unions say education standards are higher than ever, yet leading employees within the CBI say otherwise. Which side of the argument do you think is correct?
October 14, 200915 yr Well they're probably both correct, because like anything else, anyone can use any figures to make them look favourable. The Government will say that the consistant rise in grades at all levels shows that standards are higher, but too much of what you learn at school is based on being able to pass things. More people might know what to put to get an A* in a GCSE paper but it doesn't mean they're any better prepared to work...
October 14, 200915 yr Tesco are the biggest bunch of hypocritical wanks in the Retail industry. The thickest of the thick from my High school that aren't on the dole or do a practical skill [Hairdressin, Mechanic] work for Tesco. I got turned down for a job with 8x1's [sG] and 5xA's an a B at higher. :/ People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. -_- Tesco really should just FOAD. Disgusting company and a pathetic excuse for a supermarket. I'll take Morrisons over Tesco any day of the year.
October 15, 200915 yr Haha am I missing something here? Why are we supposed to take note of what the "Tesco boss" thinks of schools?! Even if he does have some points...
October 15, 200915 yr Tesco are the biggest bunch of hypocritical wanks in the Retail industry. The thickest of the thick from my High school that aren't on the dole or do a practical skill [Hairdressin, Mechanic] work for Tesco. I got turned down for a job with 8x1's [sG] and 5xA's an a B at higher. :/ People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. -_- Tesco really should just FOAD. Disgusting company and a pathetic excuse for a supermarket. I'll take Morrisons over Tesco any day of the year. good point.... if they prefer to employ idiots then how tf can they judge all school leavers?
October 15, 200915 yr I have to totally agree with Silas here... "Sir Terry" is not personally responsible for the hiring and firing that goes on in "his" company, so what the fukk does he know...? He may be CEO, or the Managing Director, but this is a TITLE that in reality means very little, he's just an owner of some shares essentially and attends a few meetings... The real people who run companies and corporations are Accountants, HR and Managers... Accountants are looking after the money, so they obviously want cheap staff, as opposed to quality, so they cant keep rolling in these big profits so the likes of Sir Terry and the other shareholders can enjoy their dividends.... If Tesco's accountants and managers were to start employing the more intelligent, more knowledgable staff, well, bugger me, they'd actually want to form unions or workers' councils, and start demanding pay rises to decent levels, etc.... All of which would then lead to the likes of "Sir Terry" and Co not being able to afford their penthouses and luxury yachts this year..... :rolleyes: The Retail Sector is not looking for intelligent people, it's looking for drop-outs and drones who wont question anything.... So, "Sir Terry" can moan and complain all he wants about "falling education standards", the facts are, the people his HR Depts are hiring are, in the main, the thickos who didn't even ATTEND school or dropped out uni because they couldn't hack it.....
October 15, 200915 yr More people might know what to put to get an A* in a GCSE paper but it doesn't mean they're any better prepared to work... Another very salient point....
October 15, 200915 yr "From my perspective there are too many agencies and bodies, often issuing reams of instructions to teachers, who then get distracted from the task at hand: teaching children." [ This is probably the one area in which I could actually agree with him, because this is what my friends who are teachers actually experience... Teachers have far too much paperwork to do, and not enough actual "face time" with the kids.... OFSTED are another joke tbh, and these "league tables" are really just complete bullsh!t......
October 15, 200915 yr Don't talk to me about fukkin OFSTED, bane of my bloody life. Just can't wait for KS2 SATS to go then what are they going to do to make their judgements.
October 15, 200915 yr I have to totally agree with Silas here... "Sir Terry" is not personally responsible for the hiring and firing that goes on in "his" company, so what the fukk does he know...? He may be CEO, or the Managing Director, but this is a TITLE that in reality means very little, he's just an owner of some shares essentially and attends a few meetings... The real people who run companies and corporations are Accountants, HR and Managers... Accountants are looking after the money, so they obviously want cheap staff, as opposed to quality, so they cant keep rolling in these big profits so the likes of Sir Terry and the other shareholders can enjoy their dividends.... If Tesco's accountants and managers were to start employing the more intelligent, more knowledgable staff, well, bugger me, they'd actually want to form unions or workers' councils, and start demanding pay rises to decent levels, etc.... All of which would then lead to the likes of "Sir Terry" and Co not being able to afford their penthouses and luxury yachts this year..... :rolleyes: The Retail Sector is not looking for intelligent people, it's looking for drop-outs and drones who wont question anything.... So, "Sir Terry" can moan and complain all he wants about "falling education standards", the facts are, the people his HR Depts are hiring are, in the main, the thickos who didn't even ATTEND school or dropped out uni because they couldn't hack it..... Tesco pay quite well actually. But when you work for a satanic evil bunch of morons it really doesn't change much. I get £6/hr at Morrisons. Tesco i think are somewhere around £6.40-£6.50/hr.
October 15, 200915 yr Well I pretty much echo most of the comments here. I don't see how a Tesco CEO is the best person to pass comment on this - he would have bugger all to do with the hiring and firing on the shop floors, so won't have any direct experience of the school leavers he talks of. And as if given the choice he'd be hiring graduates with a 1st degree to stack his shelves and man his service desks! They'd cost more and be less likely to be content in their job. I know this is a HUGE generalisation, but to an extent Tesco get what they pay for.
October 16, 200915 yr I get £6/hr at Morrisons. Tesco i think are somewhere around £6.40-£6.50/hr. Which is an absolute SH!T wage mate.... Honestly, that's awful.... Considering the profits these people make, really, they can afford a good bit more than this....
October 16, 200915 yr Which is an absolute SH!T wage mate.... Honestly, that's awful.... Considering the profits these people make, really, they can afford a good bit more than this.... I get more than minimum wage and i have a job, i can't really complain tbh.
October 16, 200915 yr I get more than minimum wage and i have a job, i can't really complain tbh. The minimum wage is cr@p when you look at the actual costs of living, you actually try living on that in London, Manchester or the South.... And your attitude just sums up everything I'm talking about really... Yes, you actually DO have a reason for complaint mate, if you only actually thought about it, the odds are DELIBERATELY stacked against the likes of you and me in this society (and we're actually the MAJORITY), which is the whole problem as I see it..... £6.40 an hour is really nothing to write home about....
October 16, 200915 yr The minimum wage is cr@p when you look at the actual costs of living, you actually try living on that in London, Manchester or the South.... And your attitude just sums up everything I'm talking about really... Yes, you actually DO have a reason for complaint mate, if you only actually thought about it, the odds are DELIBERATELY stacked against the likes of you and me in this society (and we're actually the MAJORITY), which is the whole problem as I see it..... £6.40 an hour is really nothing to write home about.... I say try £5.73 an hour! With inconsistant hours that can be anywhere between 5-10 hours in which I usually earn LESS than someone on the dole! On the subject someone who works with my mum at Tesco got sacked for stealing the other night and he had been working there for 21 years and you know what he stole? A bloody game! Which wouldn't have cost more than £40 and as well as his job he lost his reputation and the pension he's built up over the years!
October 16, 200915 yr The minimum wage is cr@p when you look at the actual costs of living, you actually try living on that in London, Manchester or the South.... And your attitude just sums up everything I'm talking about really... Yes, you actually DO have a reason for complaint mate, if you only actually thought about it, the odds are DELIBERATELY stacked against the likes of you and me in this society (and we're actually the MAJORITY), which is the whole problem as I see it..... £6.40 an hour is really nothing to write home about....I'm lucky that Dundee is quite a cheap place to live. £6/hr isn't great, but i don't plan on doing this job forever. I only have it to try and keep me out of debt as i go through uni. £6/hr pays rent, food and my bills so i'm content. I get 10% off Food and Booze, and in the run up to xmas they are doing a couple of days where i get 20% discount instead of 10 and they are gonna put on some special electrical deals at that time as well. Staff canteen is dirt cheap [tho it would be nice if it was free/more subsidised] Yes, the job is $h!t [The company are pretty decent tho] and the wage isn't great. But right now with so many people unemployed i'm happy to have a job. $h!t pay or not. I wouldn't feel right throwing my toys out the pram and demanding a pay increase [i think pay goes up this month to £6.11/hr iirc anyway] It's not perfect, but in a recession i'd rather have a job than be delving into a student loan or Overdraft. I say try £5.73 an hour! With inconsistant hours that can be anywhere between 5-10 hours in which I usually earn LESS than someone on the dole! On the subject someone who works with my mum at Tesco got sacked for stealing the other night and he had been working there for 21 years and you know what he stole? A bloody game! Which wouldn't have cost more than £40 and as well as his job he lost his reputation and the pension he's built up over the years! $h!t, I get a minimum of 10hrs/wk. I'm doing 21 this week. I know someone at Morrisons who got suspended and had a disciplinary for Eating a Sausage in the Cafe [Employee in the cafe, Theft is taken very seriously at morrisons]
October 16, 200915 yr I say try £5.73 an hour! With inconsistant hours that can be anywhere between 5-10 hours in which I usually earn LESS than someone on the dole! Again, you just prove my point.... Just HOW have we got to the stage where living on the dole is a better financial option than going out and working....? That simply is not correct in my view... A job, ANY job, should have the worker better off than the dolie, otherwise, where's the incentive to get off JSA and into a job...?
October 16, 200915 yr I'm lucky that Dundee is quite a cheap place to live. £6/hr isn't great, but i don't plan on doing this job forever. I only have it to try and keep me out of debt as i go through uni. £6/hr pays rent, food and my bills so i'm content. I get 10% off Food and Booze, My advice, get a job at M and S or Waitrose.... As retail jobs go, they're better paid, and have better staff discounts... And in Waitrose, employees actually share in the company profits..... You may even have some disposable income..... :lol: I tend to think that you should be more than just "content" tbh, a job should earn you more than just what you need to pay your bills....
October 16, 200915 yr My advice, get a job at M and S or Waitrose.... As retail jobs go, they're better paid, and have better staff discounts... And in Waitrose, employees actually share in the company profits..... You may even have some disposable income..... :lol: I tend to think that you should be more than just "content" tbh, a job should earn you more than just what you need to pay your bills.... I tried M&S but they didn't have anythin on the go. I live in Dundee, there ain't no Waitrose around here :lol: St Andrew's doesn't even have one. As far as i am concerned, this job is a means to an end.
October 16, 200915 yr I tried M&S but they didn't have anythin on the go. I live in Dundee, there ain't no Waitrose around here :lol: St Andrew's doesn't even have one. As far as i am concerned, this job is a means to an end. Well, it might only be a "means to an end" for you, but you cant really just think in terms of yourself mate.. You have colleagues who probably have a lot of years of service... Oh god, yeah, I forgot, no Waitrose in Dundee..... Bloody backwater..... :lol: :lol: Even scabby old Holloway Road in North London has a Waitrose....... :P
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