A review by a Youth Ambassador, Michael Tran 
Amidst the recent concerns over the UK level of productivity, the British job market continues to grow. We already know from previous statistics that the private sector generated an enormous figure of 2million jobs in the last five years, but the economy is still losing £18bn a year due to unfilled vacancies.
Nobody seems to have a conclusive explanation for why Britain continues to generate so many vacancies, but at the same time suffers from a slowdown in productivity and a difficulty in filling posts which includes many graduate entry-roles.
Perhaps the place where we should be looking is the national curriculum for schools and colleges, it makes sense as our workforce expectations generally emerge from educational establishments. We rely on our teachers to give the young population the ambition to strive forward and achieve their best, but what if these goals are too unrealistic?
If we set an ambitious goal for a young person, it’s only fitting that we supply them with the information that is needed to start a career, otherwise it will leave them demotivated, narrow their horizons, and consequently isolate them from industries they are not familiar with. What if the same applies to adults? A graduate could get a salary topping £25k but are they aware of how much they have to pay in tax or pensions? A career-orientated individual could climb the progression ladder, but what if they hit a glass ceiling because they needed a qualification they were never informed about? Both could lead to a drop in self-esteem because they were not correctly informed or given accurate goals.
There is still much to be done for the process that is the transition from education into work, and the complexity behind this concept is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. In addition, our standing in productivity levels highlights the fact that employers need to work harder on keeping their workforce happy and productive.
An interesting figure is that the employment rate has risen by at least 4% since the early 1990s and continues to flourish amongst the increasing population. Is there too much competition and not enough career guidance and information given to adults? Is it the thought of zero-hour contracts? Maybe having a family? Those on part-time jobs may be held back by unsatisfactory CVs and job applications because they don’t know what skills are transferrable.
The financial crisis is over, and we’re faced with a new problem of skills shortage that sees candidates unable to fill empty posts. More needs to done to tackle the problem before it becomes a crisis, but equally it should not be rushed. Employers should further engage and address this with learning providers, charities, and the Government. Educating your workforce will also act as a future protective shield come the next recession, as they will be able to adapt and help employers survive a difficult environment.
Adult Learner’s Week 2015 takes place 13th-19th June.
