Work experience By Alex Knight, YEUK Youth Ambassador.
Work experience is believed to act as a barrier to employment in Britain according to results of a poll commissioned by The Whitehouse Consultancy (ComRes).
The poll found 48% of the 2000 questioned said that youths were unemployed due to firms not wanting to employ young workers because they didn’t have work experience.
This follows a recent trend of top business leaders such as the Dragons Den’s Piers Linney claiming that in order to land a job in the current economic climate, qualifications needed supplementing with not only drive but experience too.
Despite this recent emphasis on work experience, the same poll also found that schools aren’t doing enough to provide it.
As the poll found that 40% of the sample felt that the current system in the UK isn’t preparing youngsters for entering the big wide world beyond the school gates.
This has emerged in stark contrast to Office of National Statistic figures, that they revealed the level NEET’s had fallen to its lowest level since 2005 in the three months to June.
Over the same period, youth unemployment dropped 0.9% to 16.9% and university applications rose 4%.
But this progress will be stunted if the ComRes poll results are an indication of the whole country. It suggests that a combination of the trust of younger workers by companies and a closer relationship between schools and employers are needed.
The trust, in order to get those currently NEET into work and give them a chance to prove themselves in the workplace can only be gained if young workers are given a chance.
In turn, the barriers of today can be hurdled by making closer relationships, using the latter years of secondary education focused on the future after school.
By utilising pastoral lessons to build soft skills, teaching customer service techniques or basic financial skills that that make candidates more employable.
What is certain though, is that progress is being made as youth unemployment is falling. This poll gives food for thought and how the government and business react to it, could shape youth employment over the coming years.
