Devolved Nations Face Shortage of Everyday Workplace 'Soft Skills', City & Guilds Report Finds

# What happened A City & Guilds report found that 74% of employers across the devolved nations—Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland—are finding it harder to hire people with everyday workplace abilities often called soft or employability skills. These include self- and time-management, face-to-face communication and a growth mindset.

# Main findings

• Three quarters of employers surveyed say soft skills are now more important than technical expertise for workplace success.

• 50% of the young people surveyed said anxiety or a mental health condition has affected their confidence in face-to-face communication.
• 27% said pandemic-related factors had reduced their confidence in interpersonal settings.
• Many young people do not know where to go for support to improve these skills.

Apprenticeships and vocational routes

• Young people on apprenticeships were the most likely group to report being completely confident in face-to-face communication (48%).
• Apprentices also most frequently reported receiving dedicated employability skills training (74%), more than any other segment surveyed.

• City & Guilds previously reported in 2024 that nearly half of respondents in Wales (47%) felt they lacked the skills required to enter the workforce.

• Andy Moss, Interim Chief Executive Officer of City & Guilds, said employers are telling the organisation that employability skills matter as much as technical know-how and that apprenticeships and vocational training are effective routes to develop those human skills and practical experience.

# Why it matters now

# What the report identifies as drivers

• Mental health and anxiety among young people, which reduces confidence in face-to-face settings.
• Lingering pandemic effects on interpersonal confidence.
• A gap in accessible information or support so young people can find help to develop these skills.

Apprenticeships and vocational training correlate with higher confidence and higher rates of formal employability-skills training. The report positions these routes as effective for producing candidates who already have workplace basics employers say they need.

# Practical takeaways for readers

• Employers: consider expanding or partnering with apprenticeship and vocational programmes if you need candidates with stronger interpersonal and self-management skills.
• Training providers and policymakers: target support for young people's face-to-face confidence, including mental-health-informed approaches and clearer signposting to services.
• Jobseekers and career advisers: apprenticeships and vocational training often include dedicated employability training and on-the-job experience that build workplace confidence.

# Bottom line The City & Guilds research highlights a growing human-skills shortage across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that is already affecting employers' operations. Apprenticeships and vocational pathways appear to be the most reliable route to build everyday workplace abilities and rebuild candidate confidence.