Hear Us, Hire Us Campaign
We know that the NEET crisis facing the UK is a multi-faceted issue that requires action from multiple stakeholders. One group that can help tackle the issue is employers.
We spoke to NEET young people on our programmes and asked them what they would like employers to know and change.
Every day this week on our social media channels, are be sharing our young people’s views and our recommendations to employers, so that both employers and young people can benefit from reform.
If you’re an employer who could provide entry-level jobs, please consider our recommendations so you can play your part in improving the futures of young people and wider society.
This ‘Hear Us, Hire Us’ campaign is part of our job creation project, supported by the DHL UK Foundation.
1) Change your hiring process
CVs are not always an accurate representation of young people’s skills. Don’t expect young people applying for entry-level roles to have years of work experience.
“People don’t really give you the chance to see who you are as a person, a lot of people just judge you by your appearance or what’s written on paper.” – Josh, Nottingham
“Employers are seeking a lot of experience, but young people don’t have that experience yet. I feel like you could have anything on your CV and they still won’t hire you.” – Millie, Kent
We recommend to:
- Value volunteering, caring responsibilities and extracurricular activities as evidence of skills
- Use strength-based recruitment processes that assess potential and willingness to learn e.g. job trials, task-based interviews.
2) Challenge your assumptions
Many young people are eager to work. The Milburn report highlighted that 84% of young people who are currently NEET said they wanted to find a job, education or training.
“The government says young people don’t want to work, but I have done 9 or 10 different volunteering roles… I really want a paid role.” – Zaahira, London
“More people need to have more open minds. They need to not have that stereotypical, ‘oh, he’s a teenage boy, he’s probably got a record’. They just need to drop that stereotype. They just need to have more open minds because not everyone is like that.” – Ben, London
We recommend to:
- Train hiring managers to recognise and challenge bias and stereotypes
- Be open-minded to the benefits young people can bring to your workplace.
3) Champion young talent
Most young workers are eager to learn, build their experience and apply their skills in the workforce. Young people are better able to anticipate and adapt to change. This enthusiasm is great for team building, productivity and workplace morale.
“They don’t actually give us the time of day to prove it to ourselves and prove it to them that we are all worth it and we’re good at what we can do. And we’re quick learners.” – Ben, London
“Give people a chance in jobs even if they don’t have the exact experience, managers can train people up, young people need a chance to show they can do the jobs and learn.” – Zaahira, London
We recommend to:
- Offer on-the-job training and mentoring
- Give young people a chance to build skills and progress in work
Partner with us
We need all stakeholders to get on board and make changes where possible to tackle the crisis of one million young people in the UK being out of education, employment or training.
If you’re an employer based in Kent, London or Nottingham, you can partner with us to receive support to employ young people.
We collaborate with businesses to create meaningful entry routes into employment – through apprenticeships, entry-level roles, work insight opportunities and our Extended Recruitment Programme where young people demonstrate their suitability for roles through work trials. We provide the support many employers need to feel confident hiring and retaining young workers.
Click here for more information.
