WORKERS in the region are being wrongly branded as low-skilled because the national qualification system does not recognise the excellent schemes many undertake at work, according to the CBI.

It is urging the Government to reorganise the qualifications framework. It claims this will ensure that high quality training given to staff is recognised.

Allowing companies to award their own nationally recognised qualifications would, it says, be an important first step to achieving this.

Malcolm Hyde, CBI South East regional director, said: "You don't need to be a rocket scientist to understand the UK will only maintain its place in the leading group of world economies if it has a skilled and flexible workforce.

"But our workers are wrongly branded as laggards in the skills stakes even though employers are spending more on training than in the rest of the EU, the US and Japan.

"The qualifications framework must give official recognition to the training provided in many firms and ensure that the skills of UK employees are accurately reflected."