Exclusive ITV Wales poll reveals doubts about teenagers' success

Taekwondo gold medallist Jade Jones has the skills she needs for success - but do most Welsh teenagers leave school equipped for life? Credit: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

It's been a month for celebrating Welsh teenagers' successes, from the stunning individual achievement of Jade Jones winning an Olympic gold medal to the thousands of young people who received top A-level grades yesterday.

But both employers and universities often complain that too many school leavers are ill-prepared for the next stage of their lives.

An exclusive opinion poll for ITV Wales reveals that most Welsh people do not think that pupils are equipped with the skills to succeed when they leave school, with 65% believing they have few or none of the skills they need.

Here are the full results of the YouGov poll:

  • All of the skills they need 2%

  • Some of the skills they need 28%

  • A few of the skills they need 49%

  • None of the skills they need 16%

  • Don't know 4%

The people who have been finding out the hard way tend to agree. The views of 18 to 24-year-olds are not much more positive than the overall sample.

  • All of the skills they need 7%

  • Some of the skills they need 35%

  • A few of the skills they need 42%

  • None of the skills they need 13%

  • Don't know 4%

Employers are equally concerned and are demanding that schools do more to tackle the problem.

YouGov polled 1,000 Welsh adults between 10th and 13th August.