The mentality of employers in the UK towards youth employment has improved in the space of a few years.
Employers are now helping to tackle the problem of youth unemployment instead of casting blame on “clueless” school leavers.
The jobless rate hit more than one million in 2011, but has since dropped back to just below 650,000, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Two years ago a Learning to Work programme was initiated by CIPD, a professional body dealing with personnel management, which encouraged employers to become active in solving the problem.
“When we first started the programme, words such as ‘clueless’ and ‘lazy’ were frequently used to describe young people entering the workplace and many employers were quick to blame schools and education providers for failing to prepare young people for the world of work,” said CIPD.
“Today, we are pleased to see that the public debate focuses very much on the difficult education-to-work transition young people face when they first enter the labour market.”
The agency found that 40% of companies involved now offer work experience while 37% have created ways for young people to sample employment.
Employers are also ending their focus on formal qualifications before considering someone for a post, with more than a third saying they no longer demand specific educational achievements for entry-level roles.
Recruitment drives have changed, too, with 35% going into schools and colleges instead of expecting the young people to scour around for work experience and first jobs.
Barclays admitted it had radically changed its approach in the last two years with successful results. “I would strongly recommend this approach to other employers, the success of our programmes speaks for itself,” said the company´s early careers director.
