"The latest NAPLAN results are a bad sign for our country and paint a bleak picture for a more productive and competitive future," Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association Australian Industry Group, said today.
"The sheer number of young Australians falling behind basic and necessary foundation skills is simply unacceptable and can't be allowed to continue.
"We must get the basics right to develop the skills we need for tomorrow's workforce. Without those basics in place we cannot hope to develop the more advanced skills at scale that we will need.
"It is incumbent upon all levels of government to tackle the issues because this issue goes to the heart of our country's future.
"The funding issue must be resolved and the political blame game has to stop – we have well passed the time for this to be settled.
"These results also reinforce that disadvantage is more deeply entrenched in regional and remote areas and in our First Nations community members.
"This feeds the deep pockets of intergenerational disadvantage, a situation that can't be tolerated.
"Businesses are already telling us they are struggling to find the technical and trades skills they need, and this has become a bigger problem for more companies as time goes on.
"Ai Group's Centre for Education and Training (CET) data last month showed technicians and trades workers are increasingly hard to find, with 77% of businesses surveyed reporting an increased need for these skills, and 79% saying they were having difficulty finding or training staff to meet this need.
"Not being able to find the right people at the right time limits the ability of businesses to meet demand, grow and innovate and this has deeply negative consequences for our economy," Mr Willox said.
