Education roundtable
Future-proof talent: The importance of investing in youth skills
Around 3 in 4 young people lack skills needed for employment, reveals a new
report published by the Education Commission and UNICEF. The report highlights a significant skills deficit in young people of all ages globally, and suggests that investment into tailored training programmes for young people is vital. Here we speak with key industry representatives to find out how the channel can best attract this untapped youth culture to bridge the widening skills divide.
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t’s no secret that skills shortages continue to plague organisations across all industries and geographies. In fact, the large majority of companies worldwide (87%) are aware that they either already
have a skills gap or will have one within a few years. With rapidly evolving technologies transforming the world of work
as we know it, tapping into all available resources should be a strategic priority for businesses across the globe. Key to this is shining a light on an important resource with great potential: School and university leavers looking to join the workforce.
A foot on the career ladder With the academic year over, exam results in-hand, and the celebratory summer holidays drawing to a close, many young people will currently be looking to make their first foray into the working world. However, “it can be extremely difficult for teenagers and young adults to land their first job, even honing in on what they might like to do once they leave full time education can be a challenge,” said Kathy Doherty, HR Director EMEA at Cubic Corporation. As we look to the future of work, there is an unfortunate mismatch
between young people’s experience and the hiring processes that are currently in place, with around 3 in 4 young people lacking the skills needed for employment. “Te youth of today have had a difficult couple of years with
disruption to their education and the challenge of beginning their careers in a hybrid working environment,” Hugh Scantlebury, Founder
38 | September 2022
and CEO at Aqilla reflects. “Young people long to engage with society and be an active part of their community.” However, “in today’s volatile job market, getting a foot on the career
ladder is oſten easier said than done,” adds Skillsoſt’s HR Director EMEA, Tony Prevost, “with even entry-level roles requiring prior skills and experience inaccessible to most school or university leavers. Indeed, a recent analysis of close to 4 million jobs posted on LinkedIn since late 2017 showed that 35% of postings for “entry-level” positions asked for years of relevant work experience.” With this in mind, Gillian Mahon, Chief People and Places Officer
at Totalmobile, argues that training schemes such as apprentices are a great way to help young people and tackle the recruitment challenges that we’re currently seeing in our industry. “It can be difficult for people without experience to secure jobs in tech – sometimes simply because they don’t feel confident enough in their own ability to apply.” Tese schemes “provide that stepping stone where the person learns
the job while being paid to train, and the company has the chance to train a potential future employee. It’s a win-win situation.”
Looking beyond the CV With the UK’s economic future contingent on closing the skills gap, organisations need to equip young people with the skills they will need to be successful in the modern, digital workplace. “Apprenticeship schemes should not be overlooked as an avenue for identifying and developing new talent, as they equip promising
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