The Benchmark is Youth Employment UK’s first-of-its-kind digital tool that supports employers to:
- Benchmark: Monitor and measure Explore, Experience and Employment activities in the workplace.
- Bridge the Practice Gap: Provide employers with insights and next steps to improve their practices.
- Build the Evidence Base: Explore the who, where, what, and how of youth employment activities.
The 2024 Benchmark report: an overview
Employers involved
In the 2024 cohort, 34 organisations completed the Benchmark. Out of these, 18% were SMEs and 82% were large orgnisations. The main sectors that got involved were retail, food, public sector, and charities.
Following completion of the Benchmark, all employers were entered into the Good Youth Employment Awards. You can hear from the winning employers that excelled in the data-driven benchmark tool and picked up the prestigious awards.
Locations
On average, 25% of employer activities were delivered across the whole of the UK, 1 in 5 activities were in London, North West and South East, and under 10% of activities were delivered in the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber.
Key findings
- Creating evidence and evaluation: Employers need support for robust design, evaluation and impact measurement. Measuring and connecting all programmes to ensure there is a coherent pathway for young people exploring employment, having work placements and gaining paid employment.
- Connecting networks: Employers use mediators and networks to engage young people, focusing on ages 13-19. Many lack targeted approaches to reach those young people who have protected characteristics or come from disadvantaged backgrounds and consequently struggle to support NEETs.
- Committing to good work: Investment in employment is yielding results, with improved programme quality this year. Employers are providing inclusive recruitment, pre-employment support, and sufficient training opportunities for young workers.
Explore
The first section of the Benchmark, titled Explore, is all about the activities that give young people the chance to explore different careers and industries through a range of activities, including taster days, assemblies, and careers fairs.
This involves working with schools, colleges, youth organisations, and young people directly to open up the world of work.
The 2024 Benchmark report found that collectively the 34 participating employers supported over 40,000+ young people with Explore activities. Within this:
- 40% of activities are delivered in a hybrid model
- 27% were offered all over the UK
- 56% were offered all year round.
Employers are utilising intermediaries to reach young people.
Utilising schools, colleges and third-party providers to support building connections and the logistics of supporting careers events allows for greater reach.
However, feedback and data collection is harder to collate. Mediators allow for overall targeting but do not always support the increased need to monitor, measure and evaluate to enhance the programme.
As part of employers’ evaluation of their Explore activities, it was found that:
- 81% of activities are delivered through a school, college or provider
- 70% of activities intentionally engage underrepresented groups
- Over half (56%) of activities are being monitored for quality and impact
- 20% of employers ‘sometimes’ saw an increase in target audience participation
Involving young people in delivery stages would support more relatable Explore activities.
Whilst workforce needs and skills planning should support programme learning outcomes, their delivery should include the voice, feedback and experiences of the young people that are being targeted.
The most common support employers provided was feedback. 29% of employers used feedback from young people to inform the design of programmes, and 13% of employers gathered feedback post-programme to assess its impact.
However, only 4% of activities involved planning sessions with young people and 7% of activities consistently included young people or young employees in the delivery.
Experience
The second section of the Benchmark, titled Experience, involves the range of work experience opportunities an employer can offer, such as work shadowing and short work experience placements.
These experience activities must take place on employer sites and support young people to develop skills and their understanding of the world of work.
From the 34 employers involved in the Benchmark, over 3,000 placements were provided in the last 12 months. 25% of these activities are offered all over the UK, with 21% in the South East, 19% in London, 18% in the North West, 15% in the West Midlands and 13% in the East Midlands.
Pre and on-programme support for work experience programmes is driving engagement and confidence.
Work experience can be a significant transition for many young people.
Employers who completed the Benchmark are increasingly mindful of the need to provide structured guidance and mentorship throughout the process, with 70% of experience activities including an induction session or pack, and 53% offering a buddy or mentor.
Support provided includes pre-placement briefings, where young people are given clear expectations, and on-the-job mentoring to help them integrate into the workplace and build confidence during the placements.
Post-work experience support could be improved to drive better outcomes for all.
There can be a cliff edge at the end of work experience placements. Most employers do not utilise systems to continue to engage with or build a pipeline from young people who engage in work experience programmes.
It was found that only 8% of employers offer the opportunity to engage with their organisation at the end of their work experience, and another 8% providing a reference for a young person who has undertaken a work placement.
Employment
The third and final section of the Benchmark, titled Employment, is all about employment and training pathways for young people that meet the highest standard of youth friendly employment. These quality opportunities would include training and development plans, support, and fair opportunities in their design.
Over the last 12 months, our participating Members provided over 18,000 opportunities. Most employers expanded the support that comes with these opportunities:
- 35% of opportunities provided the chance to join networks
- 22% had young staff meetings/events
- 13% had a youth staff network
- 13% had a youth board
Employers are invested in providing clear development opportunities.
Most employers offer structured professional development opportunities, with emphasis on young employees, typically including personalised development plans tailored to individual roles. 66% of employers always offer young staff a training and development plan, and a further 10% do it sometimes.
Employers are fostering continuous development by encouraging growth reflection during regular mentoring sessions, 1-2-1 meetings, and formal appraisals. This approach ensures that employees have clear pathways for skill acquisition aligned with their current responsibilities and long-term aspirations within the organisation.
Some employers are increasingly mindful of the diverse needs of their workforce, offering additional learning support for individuals with additional needs. 74% of employment roles are designed to ensure that they are inclusive of all young people, including those with special educational needs or disabilities.
Ongoing engagement and feedback activities could be improved.
Despite the potential benefits of amplifying youth perspectives, youth voice activities are largely underutilised or absent within many organisations.
Across the 18,000+ opportunities, it was found that:
- 35% were given opportunities to join networks
- 22% have young staff meetings/events
- 13% have a youth staff network
- 13% have a youth board
Employers could take more proactive steps to create platforms for youth engagement, such as regular forums, surveys, or feedback mechanisms that empower young staff to share their views and influence programme development.
Encouraging youth voices in this way not only enhances the employee experience but also helps ensure that programmes are more responsive and relevant to the needs of younger workers.
Boost your youth employment strategy in 2025
All Youth Employment UK Members get access to the Good Youth Employment Benchmark and can complete it annually.
To explore the activities you do well and the areas that need more attention, and compare your activities with other employers, enquire about Membership today.
