21.05.12
Learning to Work campaign to boost youth employment
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has launched a new campaign to help young people into work by changing employers’ engagement with them and creating more opportunities for work experience.
Recent research conducted by the CIPD showed that nearly three in ten employers did not recruit any young people in the last year.
The campaign seeks to build closer links with schools and colleges, engage with young people and increase the provision of a variety of access and progression routes into organisations.
Additionally, ‘Learning to Work’ would create opportunities for work-based learning and vocational education, as well as helping young jobseekers to navigate the labour market. The campaign will be supported by an advisory board consisting of public and private sector employers.
Stephanie Bird, CIPD director of public policy, said: “We need a step change in the relationship and level of engagement between employers and young people. But we also need to move beyond constant complaining about the shortcomings of ‘the youth of today’, to real, practical, sleeves-rolled-up engagement by employers to boost the employability and job prospects of young people.”
Katerina Rüdiger, CIPD skills policy adviser, said: “We know there is a gap between negative perceptions of today’s school and college leavers and the reality of the talents and capabilities they have to offer.
“We also see more to be done in helping employers recognise the vested interest they have in boosting the job-ready skills of young people, and in boosting the supply of ‘young-people ready jobs’. Failure to rise to these challenges risks doing lasting damage to the global competitiveness ofUKfirms and the ability of theUKto attract investment and global firms to these shores.”
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]