SCHOOLS + BUSINESSES = THE FUTURE WORKFORCE

One topic that came up was the relationship between businesses and schools and the important role they play in ensuring that our young people are equipped for life beyond school, however our recent research showed that only 1 in 10 businesses supports a local school. So, what can we do to ensure that more young people receive support and that businesses have access to the widest talent?

  • Education needs to evolve to better meet the skills need of businesses today and into the future.
  • Businesses can and should have a louder voice in influencing educational direction and policy to ensure that their future workforces have the requisite skills for the changing world of work but just as important is the active, practical role they can play in inspiring, developing and supporting young people in schools, colleges and universities – not just in their local environment but across the UK.
  • Government to introduce funded programmes to incentivise and enable businesses, particularly SMEs, to offer supported/paid work experience and internships.

    WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT SKILLS

    We need to help young people develop, recognise and talk about their skills – from the classroom to interviews and into their careers.

    Our recent research shows that young people believe that it’s their skills, alongside experience, that will enable them to succeed in their chosen career.

    Until we achieve equal access to work experience, businesses need to highlight the skills they are looking for, as well as experience, which will allow more young people to meet their criteria and feel confident in applying for roles.

    KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

    Young people start forming their ideas about future careers at a very early stage, so the sooner they can gain knowledge the better. Before they can make decisions about further and higher education, young people need to know what careers are available and the possible routes into them. Some young people are lucky enough to have personal connections – friends and family – who can guide them, but many do not. So, schools and businesses need to work together to give young people the opportunity to experience business and interact with professionals so that they can find role models to show them what’s possible, start building their own networks and develop the skills and confidence to find their own pathways in to the world of work.

    POTENTIAL IS EVERYWHERE

    Every young person has a unique set of circumstances and it’s important that businesses consider and understand the journeys that young people will have been on before entering the world of work. For example, those from poorer or underserved communities may not have the same level of confidence, vocabulary, IT skills or life experiences as their wealthier peers.

    In order to create more equal access to career opportunities, we need to remove potential barriers (e.g. corporate language, long lists of work experience requirements) that may put young people off from even applying, and also focus more on their potential and where they want to get to.

    At our first ever Youth X Industry Symposium, hosted in partnership with The Talent Tap, we discussed how businesses might engage with young people and review their recruitment processes in order to provide support and encouragement to those who need it, to level the playing field and ensure that all young people are as comfortable as possible and able to show up as their best self at interview.

    COLLABORATION IS KEY

    In order to achieve genuine inclusion and social mobility, we need everyone – parents, educators, businesses and government – to understand the range of opportunities available to young people and the possible barriers to accessing them that they may face. Only then can we work together to come up with solutions. Our Youth X Industry Symposium was a step towards this and it’s been great seeing the response and conversation growing since then… just imagine what a wider collaboration could achieve!

    Over the coming months we’ll be pulling together the findings from our recent poll and the discussions from the symposium to create a White Paper. We’ll use this to bring these important issues to government and even more businesses. Thank you to all of the young people and businesses who have had an input and we look forward to sharing this with you.

    In the meantime, let’s keep the conversation going – drop us an email with your thoughts on the question ‘How can can we create more equal access to career opportunities for young people in underserved communities in the UK?’