Since completing the Higher School Certificate this year, Tori Tucker has found it difficult to get a job in her chosen field as a cook because she did not study hospitality as a vocational education subject.

The NSW Business Chamber has called for an overhaul of the school education system in response to employer concerns that students are not being prepared well enough to tackle the modern workplace.

Tori Tucker said prospective employers have questioned why she did not study hospitality if she wanted a job as a cook. Credit:Wolter Peeters

Chief executive Stephen Cartwright said his organisation's member businesses are concerned a significant proportion of young people leaving school need to be better equipped to avoid being left behind.

He said there were "serious signs" that "we must act now to transform and modernise our school education system".