Ever had a learner ask: What is the point of completing my units? Well it can make a huge difference

Have you ever had a learner ask you, what is the point of completing this unit or finishing their qualification? Well the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) reveals the actual benefit of each qualification.

To prove the importance of gaining essential qualifications ““ such as five A*-CGCSEs or the vocational equivalent ““ the LSC has calculated the added value ofeach GCSE to someone’s starting salary, to help demonstrate the link betweenhigher qualifications and a higher starting salary.

Employer research shows recruiters will pay an extra £2,261 per year to new staffwith the minimum set of qualifications (Level 2 diploma or five A*-C GCSEs) compared to someone with no qualifications ““ an average of more than £450 per GCSE.

One GCSE or the vocational equivalent ““ £11,412

Two GCSEs or the vocation equivalent ““ £11,624

Three GCSEs or the vocational equivalent ““ £12,052

Four GCSEs or the vocational equivalent ““ £12,553

Five GCSEs or the vocational equivalent ““ £13,016

And the results also echo new ONS (Office of National Statistics) data releasedtoday ““ which shows that people without the minimum set of qualifications earn onaverage £55 a week less than those with these essential qualifications ““ and thisearnings gap has increased by 5.1 per cent since 2003 ““ showing that thesituation is getting worse for job-seekers without qualifications at this level.And while the research shows that the more GCSEs you have, the greater thestarting wage ““ it also confirms the risk of being under-qualified andunemployable.

Currently one in five (22 per cent) employers would not recruit someone with lessthan five GCSEs and by 2010, predictions show that three out of every five peoplewithout five good GCSEs or the vocational equivalent will be unemployed.

Julia Dowd, Director of Young People’s Learning at the LSC, said,”Today’s research shows that the implications of not having the minimum set of qualifications, five GCSEs grades A*-C or the vocational equivalents such as a Level 2 diploma, are becoming more serious. It is therefore imperative that all young people take their future in their own hands and remain in or return to learning to gain these essential qualifications.

“We congratulate those who have got their Level 2 qualifications and to those who haven”t, the message is that by staying on in learning young people can significantly improve their employability. Financial support is available in the form of EMA so I would urge all young people to ensure they gain the minimum set of qualifications needed to get on in life or risk seriously damaging their earnings potential.”