INTERNATIONAL economic researchers issued a damning report yesterday ranking England among the worst five countries for availability of people with technical qualifications.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development recently carried out a study of numbers of people with the kind of qualifications demanded by potential employers in its member countries.

It showed that only Poland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands ranked lower than England and Northern Ireland for numbers of people with technical qualifications.

It stated that in England only 10 per cent of adults had technical qualifications.

Academics’ union UCU condemned England’s position and said that the government must “champion vocational education alongside academic routes.”

People need the broadest possible choice of qualifications if employers were to get the skilled employees they need, UCU said.

“For too long, vocational qualifications haven’t received the attention they deserve,” said UCU general secretary Sally Hunt.

“England and Northern Ireland are now languishing near the bottom of the table behind countries like Germany, Australia, Japan and the US.

“More and more employers are demanding technical and professional qualifications from their employees.

“The government must invest properly in both academic and vocational routes so that people of all ages can access the right education for them whenever they need it, and the UK can remain globally competitive.”