How To Find Jobs Offering Lifelong Learning, Training And Development

See how to find jobs that offer lifelong learning, extra training for young people, and better future prospects!

Have you ever applied for an opportunity because you liked the sound of the additional training and support you could receive to boost your skills, knowledge and confidence? It’s a big selling point because it shows the employer cares about your future growth, not just what you can do for them right now.

Check the job description

When applying for a job or opportunity, check the perks and benefits. Don’t just look for quick wins. Look for longterm gains that help you build your skills. For example, see what the job opportunity offers in terms of “training” and “development”. See if there’s the chance to study towards new qualifications, too.

Ideally, you won’t just be given the basic training to settle into your new job. There could also be opportunities for additional training, because that employer might have a special learning and development budget for giving further training and support to employees.

Check the employer’s careers website

If an employer is youth-friendly, their careers website will usually have an ‘Early Careers” section where you can check for youth-friendly opportunities like traineeships, apprenticeships, graduate schemes and work experience.

Read through this whole section, even for the opportunities that don’t immediately seem like a good fit for you.

You will get a good idea of whether you will get lifelong learning opportunities with this employer when it comes to getting extra training, qualifications, and support with your personal and professional growth.

Is it a Youth Friendly Employer?

Our Youth Friendly Employers are all committed to supporting the meaningful employment and development of young people. They offer a huge range of opportunities around the country, so take a look.

Has the employer signed up to the Good Youth Employment Charter?

When you use our Opportunity Finder, all the employers featured have signed up to the Good Youth Employment Charter. This means they have pledged to offer quality employment to young people, and are much more likely than the average Joe to offer you lifelong learning and good quality training and development opportunities.

You can use the Opportunity Finder to look for paid opportunities, work placements and more. See what’s on offer in your area, in the career flavour of your choice.

Apply for jobs that offer good longterm prospects in the future

This advice isn’t set in stone! Any job will help you build valuable skills, knowledge and experience. Sometimes you might want a job that’s there to bring in some quick money, or something that’s local and easy to apply for, and that’s totally understandable. Getting a quick-win job is still an excellent achievement.

However, if you are researching several opportunities that are all quite similar in terms of salary, job description and entry requirements, start comparing the perks and benefits. If there are two very similar roles but one offers potential extra training and personal development, and the other doesn’t, you might want to focus on the opportunity that has stronger longterm prospects! They are geared towards lifelong learning, so you will continue to grow over time.

You are more likely to enjoy a variety of projects and gain personal confidence and satisfaction in a job that offers built-in lifelong learning.

Written with thanks to our volunteer Youth Ambassadors for their youth-led insights.