International Youth Day (12th August) comes as youth unemployment is soaring due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the UK, the two industries hardest hit by the pandemic – accommodation & food services and arts, entertainment & recreation - have the highest proportion of young workers. According to the TUC young workers (those aged 25 and under) are three times more likely than workers over 25 to be employed in an industry at higher risk of unemployment1.
The unemployment crisis is coupled with an education one, as students miss months of time in school. Nationwide closures of schools during the pandemic have affected over 60% of the world’s student population2.
In the UK, the students who are leaving education this year are entering the employment market just as the country is entering a significant recession. The impact on the younger generation could be devastating, which is why the Chancellor announced plans to encourage employers to keep on furloughed staff and create more opportunities through apprenticeships.
Working with charity partners to ensure no young person is left behind
We’re committed to being part of the solution to youth unemployment. It is a key tenet of our responsible business strategy where, as part of our commitment to equip young people with the skills to help them thrive in the workplace, we support Teach First and Young Enterprise as our corporate charity partners. Through these partnerships, we encourage our people to volunteer their skills helping young people with employability and entrepreneurial skills.
Alongside our corporate charity partnerships, we are also working with The Youth Group to find solutions that help young people to overcome challenges getting into work; whether they stem from social and economic disadvantage, mental health or other barriers that block them from accessing employment opportunities.
Together with our partners, we are committed to developing a programme at Capita that ensures we are:
- Offering growth opportunities for young people
- Providing more apprenticeships and work experience placements
- Recognising and rewarding talent
- Listening to young people
- Encouraging our colleagues to volunteer their skills with young people
We want to instil confidence in young people and give them the support and advice they need to thrive in the workplace.
Jack Parsons, CEO from the Youth Group, says: “We need big employers like Capita to help get young people work ready and do what they can to recruit, retain and train them to give them the skills they need. The Covid-19 pandemic has compounded the challenges that young people already face when finding work opportunities. So, we need more employers to recognise those challenges and do what they can to ensure no young person is left behind.”
To understand more about the challenges that young people face entering employment, read our full interview with Jack Parsons.
Andrew Porter
Capita’s Group Resourcing Director
Andrew is Capita’s Group Resourcing Director. He has over 20 years’ experience of delivering high performance resourcing and talent services to large and complex organisations.
