 He has called for state contracts to be held back from firms that deliberately delay payment to creditors; citing the collapse of Carillion and the £2bn it owed to its suppliers, Reed has characterised such firms as "drunk-drivers".He has also encouraged school-leavers to consider joining the workplace instead of attending university, and has called upon Oxbridge universities to increase their intake by doubling their semesters.Reed is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).