There will, almost inevitably, be further casualties as we pull out of recession, history tells us that. For those HR professionals caught up in that recession backlash, 2010 is set to be as challenging as 2009.

I think that the greatest Challenge ahead (and in every Challenge there lies an opportunity) for HR professionals is to start to address, in a concerted and co-ordinated way, the lack of “work ready” young people that are currently flooding into the work market. Sir Terry Leahy and Sir Stuart Rose have both gone on the record recently, lamenting the quality of young people joining the workforce, which should be noted by the HR world as we can play a vital part in resolving this key problem.

It seems that the problem starts, and mainly lies with, under-performing schools and parents, but as this issue is far from being resolved and businesses cannot afford to wait, HR professionals need to act now to help us all move forward.

Firstly, HR professionals are well placed to identify, and quantify, the cost to businesses of this problem. By gathering and collating that information, the true cost to British businesses can be ascertained. And let’s face it, money talks. When businesses realise what this problem is costing them, they will be galvanized in to action; and Government will have to do something about it, and fast.

Secondly, HR professionals are probably best placed to articulate the human cost in all of this. Difficult, if not impossible, to quantify in hard currency, but HR professionals will be able to get the message across, and influence the business community as well as Government.

Thirdly, HR professionals are more than capable of identifying, and implementing, measures that could provide a solution; that would deal with the problem faster than waiting for schools to perform, and in some cases getting parents to take their responsibilities more seriously.

Personally, I would form a partnership between local businesses and local higher education colleges with a view to delivering tutoring in the workplace. Clearly one would have to assess the specific need first, and that would be like falling off a log for most HR professionals.

This service would cost money, but when the HR team show the finance director how much it will cost the business if they don’t invest, I suspect that the financial director will be won over quite quickly.

There will be spin-offs too, any relationship is a good relationship, and knowledge and ideas will flow in both directions. The colleges will benefit and so will the local businesses. In effect, you are taking the workplace to those who educate the workforce. Surely therefore there should be more dialogue and interaction between the two. Why stop there? Form partnerships with local schools; tell them what you, as a business need, and you may be able to assist them with work experience and so on.

Perhaps, from an HR perspective, the best spin-off will be how your people feel about the business. If you care about your people, and demonstrate that by making them a better educated workforce, and therefore boosting their morale, then why would they want to go and work anywhere else? Now that would be HR utopia. Am I dreaming? No, I don’t think so, it really could be that easy.