Dear Sir,

IT'S no earthly use saying that we are doing really well and we are more successful than Japan.

It's no use saying that if there are a lot of people entering the workforce without basic skills or an understanding of risk.

If you bring up a generation of young people telling them that risk doesn't exist, they leave school and they get the shock of their lives.

There are 1.3 billion Chinese, one billion Indians and 300 million Americans - they all know risk and they want your lunch.

This is not about saying put children in harm's way'.

I don't want to review health and safety legislation - schools and companies need good quality health and safety legislation that is properly implemented.

This is about getting children to understand risk.

If you get children to understand that, you have a better chance of them becoming entrepreneurs, innovators and not frightened of failure.

Get people in society to understand that you will have losers but don't write off losers - find them and take them to a place where they can win.

I don't believe there's anybody born in this country who cannot win at something - it's our job to take them there.

It's about equipping the next generation to compete in a brutally competitive global world.

Fail and our children and their children will never forgive us.

Sir Digby Jones

Digby Jones Consulting Ltd

58 Elizabeth Court

London

NW1 6EJ