Youth Employment UK CIC wanted to bring together the views and expertise of employers, educators and youth employment specialists to explore in more depth the question of Employability. We asked these questions of our delegates:
- “What are Employability Skills?”
- “Are young people employable, what evidence supports this?”
- “Why is that?”
- “What can we do differently to ensure better outcomes for young people, locally and nationally?”
Having researched the employability skills debate at length it is clear that almost all reports, surveys and research arrive to similar definitions of employability. It is frustrating that this question gets so much air time, when in fact the time could be used to understand why some young people lack the skills needed to be “Work ready” and what can be done to ensure all young people have equal access to opportunities to gain these skills. Our report includes a brief look at Employability Skills mapping some of the reports conducted by different organisations.
Key Findings:
- Young people all leave education with different skills and abilities, some are highly employable, motivated and ready to add value to their future employers whilst others have limited skills and knowledge and need further training to prepare them to meet employer expectations.
- Young people have differing and complex needs, some requiring a more supportive approach to engagement whilst others require signposting to information and guidance.
- It is found that those young people who are most employable have benefitted from: o Some experience of the world of work o Have had exposure to positive role models o Have been able to access good careers support and information
- The education system has to take prime responsibility for preparing young people for the world of work. It is the environment in which they spend most of their time and “employability” should be incorporated into their learning. All stages of education, primary through to Secondary, FE and HE all have a role to play to inspire, motivate and prepare young people and to challenge existing barriers, socio-economic experiences, stereotypes and aspiration.
- Working with young people once they have left the system is rather like “shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted”. Young people should leave the system ready for employment, or the system has failed them.
- Whilst practitioners are targeted on the outcomes for young people they remove the personal ownership of the young person to take on responsibility for their own employment success.
- Employers are keen to see both academic and employability skills from prospective employees, requiring a balance of skill, knowledge and ability.
Delegates of the Employability Excellence Workshop were asked to identify areas that could be improved to ensure that young people have fair and equal access to opportunities and experiences that will help them to develop employability skills. The delegates then had to prioritise those ideas that could be easily implemented given the current changes within education, the restrictions of financial resources and which actions would have the greatest impact on the young person.
These are the top 5 recommendations put forward during discussion and then subsequently confirmed by a formal survey conducted online: Recommendations:
1. Employability should be embedded within and across the school curriculum, with learning contextualised in terms of work-relevance, and with teachers specifically responsible for elements of careers guidance
2. Ring-fence funding for employability training and information, advice and guidance (IAG)
3. IAG should provide clear, objective and impartial support for all pathways towards future careers and further study, and ensure that all pathways enjoy equal esteem, especially apprenticeships
4. Young people should be supported from early on in developing their emotional intelligence, and in taking on greater responsibility for their learning. Personal attributes such as appropriate risk-taking, entrepreneurship should be encouraged
5. Schools should increase their employer engagement activities with a dedicated employer coordinator, employer governors and initiate/participate in business engagement activities
