Adults are entering the workforce without crucial communication skills, a fact that 86% of employees and executives believe is the “root cause” of current workplace failures (Salesforce, 2022).

According to NACE's Job Outlook 2023 report, 95.6% of employers cite communication as the most important career competency. Yet, alarmingly, the Wall Street Journal found that 89% of hiring managers have a very or somewhat difficult time finding people with this valuable skillset.

Despite the evident and growing importance of communication in a post-COVID world, The Sutton Trust reports that just 1 in 5 pupils feel the school curriculum helps them develop the likes of these crucial communication skills in the classroom (Sutton Trust Life Lessons report 2017).

This is even truer for socio-economically disadvantaged students. Even when they have similar qualifications, The Education Policy Institute found that disadvantaged young people are 50% more likely to be NEET than their more affluent peers. If a lack of hard skills isn’t the problem, it is undoubtedly a lack of soft skills, including communication, that accounts for this discrepancy. 

In this golden age of communication, where business is built upon collaboration and automation is on the rise, this realisation is incredibly concerning for the future of work. 

🚨 This is where Debate Mate comes in. 🚨

Our programmes are designed to address this very gap in the skills market. We teach key future skills, including communication, critical thinking and confidence, to young people all around the world, equipping them for the world of work like no one else is.

Our virtual and corporate programmes help fund the work of our charitable branch, Debate Mate Schools, who run in-person debate clubs in areas of high child poverty across the UK and beyond. Through this business model, we aim to address the root of workplace inequality and level the playing field between socio-economically disadvantaged students and their more affluent peers.

🚀 These skills aren't taught as standard in schools - invest in your child's future and sign them up to a free taster or one of our upcoming courses!