THE education system is letting down too many school-leavers by failing to teach them the basic arithmetic, reading and writing skills they need to succeed at work, the CBI has warned.

It said school-leavers need to be literate and numerate, motivated and alive to the needs of the modern workplace, but in reality barely half of GCSE students achieve a Grade C or above in Maths, and just six out of 10 do so in English.

As a result, almost half of employers are unhappy with the basic skill levels of school-leavers and 50 per cent believe teenagers do not have sufficient communication, team-working and problem-solving abilities, according to results from a CBI/Pertemps survey.

Director-general Sir Digby Jones said: "A working knowledge of English and maths provides a vital foundation for the modern world of work - but the education system is failing many young people by leaving them ill-equipped."