Vocational training in England is lagging behind similar schemes in other countries, with home-grown students far less likely to complete courses and take up jobs than their overseas counterparts, a new report has found.

The study, undertaken by education standards agency Ofsted, compared vocational courses in England with their equivalents in Denmark, the Netherlands and Australia.

The report found that vocational schemes in England had far less involvement with employers than in the other three countries, with the foreign courses all better matched to the needs of businesses and the economy in general.

Worryingly for English small firms, the report found that employers in this country had very little input into the content of the courses compared with overseas companies, with the reputation of the schemes suffering as a result.

According to the study, English students have a low opinion of vocational courses compared to other nationalities, with youngsters from this country far more likely to drop out of training before they reach full-time education or employment.

The report also criticised the structure of vocational courses in England, the experience of teachers and the quality of accommodation.

Vocational schemes, especially employer lead programmes such as Modern Apprenticeships, are seen by the government as essential in solving the chronic lack of skills in UK workplaces.

As reported by Startups.co.uk, an estimated eight million British workers do not have the skills to do their jobs properly, a problem that affects nearly a quarter of all UK firms.

David Bell, the chief inspector of schools, said that the report finds that lessons can be learnt in England about how to give high esteem to vocational courses,

“We need to raise staying-on rates and do more to exploit the role of employers in developing and assessing qualifications.

“More must be done to ensure young people understand how valuable vocational courses and qualifications can be and to encourage more of them to stay on into full-time education or training beyond the end of compulsory education,” he said.