When it comes to school leavers impressing at interviews, A is for Attitude (as much as A-levels) says DAVID HARBOURNE, director of the Learning and Skills Council North Yorkshire.

MY WORK is overseen by a council of unpaid volunteers.

They are the equivalent of non-executive directors, guiding and commenting on what we do.

They represent a cross-section of people from the local area, including a number of leading employers as well as representatives of trades unions, voluntary organisations and local authorities.

Recently, council members discussed the aims of education and training for 14-19 year olds.

They started by describing what they would like to find if they were interviewing a school leaver. They used phrases like self-confidence, the ability to think things through, communications skills, and creativity.

This echoes what a lot of local businesses tell me. Of course they are interested in qualifications, but they also think the attitude and outlook of young people counts for a lot in deciding who to take on. It also echoes the emerging conclusions of a national review of 14-19 qualifications, led by Mike Tomlinson, former Chief Inspector at Ofsted.

Of course, young people will still learn about particular subjects such as maths, English and science.

However, the Tomlinson review suggests ways in which the curriculum can be made both broader and more flexible.

The interim report describes some of the principles that should guide the future development of the curriculum. The group suggests that all young people should:

Find out about the world of work, and see the links between what they learn at school and the skills they are likely to use later in their working lives

Develop self-awareness, self-management, the ability to work with others, and personal and interpersonal skills

Participate in activities which help them take an active part in society

Work in depth on a subject or idea which interests and motivates them.

This will help them develop a number of skills which will be useful whatever they choose to do when they leave school. The group specifically mentions research, planning, analysis, and presentational skills.

A lot of this already happens. In York and North Yorkshire, we aim to arrange for every young person to have two weeks' work experience when they are 14 or 15.

What the Tomlinson review is likely to mean is that we will take the ideas and opportunities further.

A really important aspect will be ever-closer links between education and business. If you have any thoughts on this, I'd be very pleased to hear from you. My phone number is 01904 385500.

And if you would like to get involved in working more directly with local schools and colleges, please phone NYBEP - the North Yorkshire Business and Education Partnership - on 01904 693632.

Updated: 09:46 Tuesday, June 22, 2004