Young people trying to find work experience are facing a postcode lottery according to a report published this week by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
The Catch 16-24: Youth Employment Challenge report reveals that employers in some parts of the country are almost twice as likely to offer work experience placements as their counterparts in other areas.
Dame Fiona Kendrick, chief executive of Nestle UK and Ireland, and a Commissioner at the UK Commission for Employment and Skills said:
“The areas where employers are least likely to offer any form of experience of the workplace are also where youth unemployment is high, creating a catch 22 situation for young people – they can’t get the experience to get a job and they can’t get a job without the experience.
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“Small actions can make a world of difference to young people, and experience need not be two weeks of photocopying in the summer – mock interviews, talks in schools, site visits and mentoring can make the difference for a young person’s CV without taking too much time.”
The Humber, which faces one of the highest unemployment rates for 16 to 25-year-olds in England, has just 29 percent of employers offering work experience to build vital work-based skills.
Other work experience blackspots highlighted include Cumbria, Leicester, Sheffield, Wiltshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.
By contrast, Liverpool, Greater Birmingham and Solihull all see a high proportion of employers offering work experience, and significantly lower levels of youth unemployment.
The report builds on results of the UKCES’s Employer Perspectives Survey, which interviewed over 18,000 employers across the UK. Two-thirds (66%) said work experience was critical when recruiting a young person but, despite this, one in five employers said that nothing could persuade them to offer work experience.
Michael Davis, chief executive of UKCES said:
“Young people are already facing increasingly difficult conditions finding their way into the workplace, and the news that these factors can be further compounded based simply on location is disheartening.
“Contact with the world of work should be a component of all young people’s educational experience, and all schools and colleges should have links with at least one local business. That’s not altruism – it’s essential if we’re to create the skilled workers all business need to survive and thrive.
“By working collaboratively, taking one simple step and engaging with young people, employers, education providers and those taking their first steps into work can all benefit.”
Steff joined the HRreview editorial team in November 2014. A former event coordinator and manager, Steff has spent several years working in online journalism. She is a graduate of Middlessex University with a BA in Television Production and will complete a Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Westminster in the summer of 2015.
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