One in three 16-21 year olds (32%) in the UK lack confidence in local job prospects, and only 35% believe local firms offer career opportunities to match their ambitions.
The young people surveyed also feel that they lack awareness of opportunities (35%), and over half (56%) worry about gaining the relevant experience for the role they want, according to latest findings in the report, ‘Age of Uncertainty: Young people’s views on the challenges of getting into work in 21st Century Britain’ published yesterday by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and EY Foundation.
The survey, conducted by Populus, found that a lack of confidence affected those from lower-socio economic groups more, as they are less likely than their peers to believe they can get employed locally (33% compared to 25%).
The report calls for employers to work with education on tackling the issue, as it’s not a lack of vision holding these young people back; 63% of young people have the ambition to lead a team, 40% aspire to become the boss of a company, and 37% would like to start their own business.
Ann Francke, Chief Executive of CMI, comments: “Young people aspire to become leaders but it’s currently luck of the draw whether they get the necessary chances to learn how. We need employers and educators to help the next generations to develop practical skills and confidence from a younger age.
“If we are to succeed in creating regional powerhouses outside London then we must have home-grown leaders. Making management and leadership skills part of the school curriculum will help bridge the gap between employers and the next generation of workers.”
Maryanne Matthews, Chief Executive of EY Foundation, says: “What young people are saying loud and clear in this report is that there is a disconnect between having an experience(s) of work and the confidence to get a job, especially if they come from a low-income household.
“And while we are hearing that many employers, schools and colleges across the country are doing great things and offering inspiring experiences of work, there are still too many young people who are not getting this access – and they are calling for it! We want every young person, in every region across the UK to have the same systematic and high-quality experiences of work with local employers.
“Greater levels of collaboration are needed to fix this - and that’s what the recommendations in this report are all about.”
Sir
If this comes to pass it sounds like a frighteningly top-heavy work environment.
I'm not sure that a 40% boss : 60% worker structure is financially viable for many companies.
What we need is people to do what they enjoy and what they are good at - combined with a society that has a more even distribution of financial reward, so you don't have to have a senior (managerial) role in order to earn a real, true living wage.
What this story tells me is that we are teaching our young people that value and fulfilment lies in seniority (being 'a boss') - this strikes me as extremely destructive. It can only generate expectations which lead (in at least 30% of cases) to bitter disappointment and frustration. A 10% boss : 90% worker ratio is what we have in reality - let's prepare for that, but equally value the non-bosses that actually make the world function.