John Bampkin,
Chair Guernsey Construction Forum

Guernsey’s business community has been loud and clear: the island’s current approach to education is not fit for purpose. It’s not just about buildings, budgets, or OFSTED grades. It’s about the investment, development, and retention of skills on island to provide for the long-term health of our economy, the employability of our people, and the capacity of our community to grow and adapt in a rapidly changing world.

The Voice of Guernsey Business survey revealed that 88% of respondents believe our current investment mix in education is not right. The same survey found that 61% of business leaders believe investment should be focused on human capital—teachers and teaching assistants—rather than buildings to ensure that students have access to a high quality education provided by a stable and expert workforce.

This is not an ideological debate. It’s a practical one. And it requires a practical, urgent response.

Why Education Is a Business Issue

It’s easy to think of education as something that sits within the confines of the States. But its impact ripples through every sector of our economy.

From finance to hospitality, IT to construction, Guernsey businesses are struggling to find the right talent. Not just highly specialised roles, but core skills like literacy, numeracy, and digital confidence. Employers are seeing first-hand how the cracks in our education system are translating into gaps in productivity, recruitment, and long-term growth.

“Graduate level positions can be difficult to recruit due to the reluctance of graduates to come back to, or move to, an island where they feel they have little or no prospect of being able to afford to buy a house or even pay reasonable rent.”
— Survey respondent

The Skills Gap Is Widening

Business leaders are telling us they want to employ home-grown talent—but the local skills pipeline isn’t delivering. In fact, education, skills and workforce development ranked as one of the top three enablers of economic growth among respondents, alongside housing and transport.

There’s concern about the changing demographics of our island. With an ageing population and young people leaving, the challenge isn’t just in teaching—but in both retaining and attracting the right talent to support a sustainable economy.

What Needs to Happen Now

The G8 is calling for action—not in a years’ time, but starting now. We propose:

Launch a Skills for Guernsey Agency by end of 2026

This must be co-designed with business to ensure that it meets the real-world needs of Guernsey’s economy. It should focus on:

  • Future-facing industries such as digital, finance, green tech, and healthcare
  • Core skills like literacy, numeracy, and digital tools
  • Partnerships with local employers to provide pathways from education into work

“Constant churn of teachers and poor working conditions makes it hard to recruit. Add on transport links and cost of relocating. It’s a bad mix.”
— Survey respondent

Link housing and connectivity policy directly to workforce development

If we want teachers, nurses, and young professionals to stay in Guernsey, they need somewhere to live and affordable ways to travel. Education doesn’t exist in a vacuum—it depends on solving the housing and connectivity too.

Business Is Ready to Play Its Part

The G8 isn’t just highlighting a problem. We’re offering partnership. Guernsey’s business community is prepared to work with the new government to co-design training pathways, offer internships and placements, and support lifelong learning.

We’ve seen it work elsewhere. Now we need to make it happen here.

Guernsey’s Future Starts in the Classroom

This election, we urge all candidates to treat education not as a political talking point, but as a cross-cutting priority that underpins everything else.

Ask yourself:

  • Will you support a Skills for Guernsey Agency?
  • What is your plan to ensure Guernsey’s workforce is ready for the next 10 years—not just the next term?

Because in the end, education isn’t just about today’s students. It’s about tomorrow’s economy.

And we don’t have time to wait.