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TRANSCRIPT
Barriers to the employment of
young people
January 2013
May 2012
2
About Asset Skills
Asset Skills is one of 21 Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) that have been established by the government
to tackle the skills and productivity needs of their sector throughout the UK.
SSCs are independent employer-led organisations that cover different business sectors of economic
or strategic significance.
Asset Skills represents five sectors in the UK: property and planning, housing, facilities management,
cleaning and parking. Business in these industries share the goal of ensuring the environment in
which we work, live and play is developed, managed and maintained to the benefit of all.
About Insight on Demand
Insight on Demand is the research and market intelligence consultancy division of Asset Skills.
Insight on Demand specialises in providing value adding and insight generating research and
evaluation services. We employ dedicated consultancy and research professionals, whose expertise
is in independent, insightful and high impact research, offering actionable advice and
recommendations based on a robust and rigorous evidence base.
Please contact Michelle Jay (Head of Programmes and Consultancy) for more information or to
discuss you research requirements ([email protected]).
This Report
This report has been prepared on behalf of Asset Skills by Jo Smith, Michelle Robb and Lindsay Hart
of Optimisa Research.
For more information, or if you would like to provide
feedback on this research publication, contact the Insight
Team on 01604 233336 or [email protected].
For further information on the work being undertaken by
Asset Skills in relation to the employment of young people
please email: [email protected]
This document is available to download at
www.assetskills.org/research
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1. Table of Contents
2. Table of figures ...................................................... 5
3. Introduction .......................................................... 6
4. Executive Summary ............................................... 7
5. Literature Review ................................................. 10
5.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 10
5.2. Context ..................................................................................................................... 10
5.3. The context within Asset Skills industries ................................................................ 11
5.4. The current climate .................................................................................................. 11
5.5. The attitude of employers........................................................................................ 12
5.6. The experience trap ................................................................................................. 13
5.7. Short-termism .......................................................................................................... 14
5.8. A lack of work readiness amongst young people ..................................................... 14
5.9. The link between employers and education ............................................................ 14
5.10. Balancing the benefits with the time and cost ........................................................ 15
5.11. Challenges facing smaller organisations .................................................................. 16
5.12. The longer term consequences ................................................................................ 16
5.13. The aspirations and views of young people ............................................................. 16
6. Primary research requirement & method .............. 18
6.1. The research requirement ....................................................................................... 18
6.2. Research objectives ................................................................................................. 18
6.3. Research Method ..................................................................................................... 19
7. Attitudes towards employing young people .......... 21
7.1. Method overview ..................................................................................................... 21
7.2. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 21
7.3. Attitudes to the employment of young people ....................................................... 22
7.4. Positives to employing young people ...................................................................... 23
7.5. Challenges to employing young people ................................................................... 26
7.6. Other considerations ............................................................................................... 29
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8. How challenges can be overcome ......................... 32
8.1. The Employment Charter ......................................................................................... 32
8.2. Designing an effective charter and solution ............................................................ 33
8.3. Considerations and suggestions ............................................................................... 34
9. The employment situation from the perspective of young people ......................................................................... 37 9.1. Method overview ..................................................................................................... 37
9.2. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 37
9.3. Sources of information and advice .......................................................................... 38
9.4. Attitudes to careers and job searches ..................................................................... 39
9.5. Challenges of job searches ....................................................................................... 43
10. Perception of the Asset Skills sectors .................... 46
10.1. Overview of perception ........................................................................................... 46
10.2. Current perception of the sectors ............................................................................ 47
10.3. Impact of sector information on perception ........................................................... 48
11. Concluding discussion: Tackling the barriers to the employment of young people ...................................... 50
11.1. Tackling the common challenges ............................................................................. 51
12. Bibliography ......................................................... 54
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2. Table of figures
FIGURE 1 THE 'EXPERIENCE TRAP' ................................................................................................................................. 13
FIGURE 2 EMPLOYER SAMPLE: SECTOR COVERAGE ............................................................................................................ 19
FIGURE 3 EMPLOYER SAMPLE: UK COVERAGE ................................................................................................................. 19
FIGURE 4 EMPLOYER SAMPLE: SIZE OF ORGANISATION ...................................................................................................... 19
FIGURE 5 KEY REQUIREMENTS FROM EMPLOYEES ............................................................................................................. 21
FIGURE 6 POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES OF EMPLOYING YOUNG PEOPLE ................................................................................... 22
FIGURE 7 CASE STUDY: FACILITIES MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................................ 30
FIGURE 8 THE EMPLOYMENT CHARTER DESCRIPTION ........................................................................................................ 32
FIGURE 9 CHALLENGES AND NEGATIVES AGAINST KEY REQUIREMENTS .................................................................................. 33
FIGURE 10 CHALLENGING NEGATIVES ASSOCIATED WITH THE EMPLOYMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE ................................................. 36
FIGURE 11 DISCUSSION OF EMPLOYMENT SITUATION AND CAREERS ..................................................................................... 38
FIGURE 12 SOURCES OF INFORMATION USED IN CAREERS SEARCHES IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS ................................................... 39
FIGURE 13 AGREEMENT WITH THE STATEMENT THAT: 'I HAD/HAVE A GOOD IDEA OF THE SECTOR I WOULD LIKE TO WORK IN' ......... 40
FIGURE 14 ATTITUDE TO SEARCHES FOR EMPLOYMENT ..................................................................................................... 41
FIGURE 15 FACTORS WHICH ATTRACT YOUNG PEOPLE TO SPECIFIC SECTORS........................................................................... 41
FIGURE 16 IMPORTANCE OF FACTORS IN SEARCHES FOR JOBS ............................................................................................. 42
FIGURE 17 NUMBER OF JOB APPLICATIONS MADE BY THE UNEMPLOYED 16-24 YEAR OLDS IN PAST THREE MONTHS ...................... 43
FIGURE 18 LEVEL OF EASE EXPECTED/EXPERIENCED IN THE SEARCH FOR FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT .............................................. 44
FIGURE 19 BARRIERS EXPECTED AND EXPERIENCED IN SEARCH FOR FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT..................................................... 44
FIGURE 20 OVERVIEW OF REQUIREMENT TO CHALLENGE PERCEPTIONS OF THE SECTORS .......................................................... 46
FIGURE 21 AGREEMENT WITH STATEMENTS ABOUT THE ASSET SKILLS SECTORS ..................................................................... 47
FIGURE 22 SECTOR INFORMATION SHOWN (SHOWN TO RESPONDENTS IN ROTATED ORDER) ..................................................... 48
FIGURE 23 IMPACT OF INFORMATION ABOUT SECTOR OPPORTUNITES ON OPINION* ............................................................... 49
FIGURE 24 OVERVIEW OF OVERARCHING CHALLENGES TO EMPLOYING YOUNG PEOPLE ............................................................ 50
FIGURE 25 COMMON CHALLENGES IDENTIFIED BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND YOUNG PEOPLE ....................................................... 51
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3. Introduction
The need to attract young people (16-24 year olds) into the cleaning, facilities management,
housing, and property sectors has been identified as a priority by Asset Skills, due to the
employment of young people across the footprint being significantly lower than average across all
UK sectors. In order to tackle this issue, investigation was required to highlight the most significant
barriers to the employment of young people within the four Asset Skills sectors from both an
employer and young person’s perspective.
This report provides the findings of an evidence based review and two stages of primary research.
The literature review explores existing research on the barriers to employing young people across
the UK, but not all specifc to Asset Skills. The purpose of this literature review is to provide a context
for the primary research reported in the subsequent sections, which examines the specific barriers
and stimulators to the employment of young people which exist across the Asset Skills footprint,
with a view to then putting in place effective measures to deal with these issues.
The primary research reported here consists of two separate research phases, conducted in
November and December 2012. The first, qualitative study explores the attitudes to the
employment of young people, from an employer’s perspective.The research strongly identifies an
overarching desire to ‘give young people a chance’ but also highlights a number of potential
challenges which it is important to address.
Following this study, the report details an online quantitative study conducted with young people
aged 16 to 24 years old, examining their experiences of seeking employment and explores their
perception of the Asset Skills sectors. This element of the research highlights that young people do
not expect, or experience, an easy search in their endeavour to secure full-time employment and
cite a number of barriers which they encounter. In addition and perhaps more importantly, the
research also finds that young people do not hold positive perceptions of potential opportunities
within the Asset Skills sectors. This negativity appears to be driven in part by a lack of understanding
of the industries and as a consequence low awareness of the opportunities available to them. This
lack of awareness was demonstrated when, during the research they were presented with some
information about the various opportunities within the different sectors, a number of young people
stated that it had changed their opinion for the better.
The research concludes with a discussion as to the key challenges and stimulators to the
employment of young people, synthesizing the literature and two primary research studies. This
discussion identifies three core challenges: the ‘experience trap’; the recruitment process and job
search; and perception of the sectors, before outlining solutions to these challenges. In conclusion,
the report highlights where a practical solution of an ‘Employment Charter’ may begin by suggesting
the practical considerations which need to be taken into consideration in order to achieve
engagement and buy-in from employers.
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4. Executive Summary
Context
The employment of young people is of significant importance to the labour market and
society as a whole. There are an estimated 7.5 million young people aged 16 to 24 in the UK.
In early 2012 youth unemployment in the UK was reported to be over the 1 million mark and
the youth unemployment rate (at 22%) was higher than at any point since comparable
records began in 1992. In addition, the employment of young people within the Asset Skills
footprint is significantly lower than the UK average;
o On average 16-24 year olds make up 13% of the UK workforce
o In the Asset Skills sectors the figures are lower: Cleaning and Housing (10%),
Property (8%) and Facilities Managemment (7%)
It is of vital importance that youth unemployment is tackled effectively as research has
shown that a lack of employment at a young age can lead to problems for both the
individual and socity as a whole. Young jobless people are more likely to suffer a detrimental
effect to their future earnings potential, become involved in crime and experience ill health.
Literature reviewed highlights a number of challenges to the employment of young people,
including attitudinal misconception, a lack of experience and work readiness of young
people, but also challenges in attracting young people to the Asset Skills sectors.
An employer perspective
Positively, this primary research does not support the idea that misconceptions of young
people exist as highlighted in the literature. Instead it finds that employers in the Asset Skills
sectors do have a desire to ‘give young people a chance’. Employers are aware of the
difficulties young people have in securing employment and most would welcome the chance
to give young people an opportunity.
The research highlighted a number of positive characteristics which employers felt young
people were able to bring to the workplace. Employers feel that young people can bring a
diversity to their workplace and many of their positive characteristics are often lacking in
their established workforce.
o Enthusiasm
o Fresh perspective
o They can be ‘moulded’ to meet the specific needs of the business
o They are IT literate and ‘tech ready’
o They offer cheaper labour
o They present an opportunity to progress into more senior positions
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However despite these positive attributes, young people can represent a risk for employers
as they do not have a proven work history. Some employers who have established links with
local colleges or training providers feel that some of this risk has been removed as they are
able to receive recommendations for potential employees, or they are offered candiates
who have been ‘filtered’.
The research also identified a number of barriers around the employment of young people.
The economic climate increases pressure on their profit margins which drives a need for
employees who can ‘hit the ground running’, which previous research highlights as more
challenging to the Asset Skills sectors (which is dominated by SMEs).
There were a number of potential negative attributes which employers felt caused issues
from them when considering employing young people:
o They lack the confidence and knowledge to self promote (in job applications and
interviews)
o They have a lack of experience and proven work history
o They have a lack of life experience
o They lack a work ethic and an appreciaction of workplace behaviour
o They have a lack of energy
o Practical challenges
Most employers do however recognise that these characteristics are not exclusive to those
aged 16- 24, and for most are not enough in themselves to discourage them from employing
a young person.
A number of employers describe feeling that as the job market is so competitive at the
moment they can have ‘their pick’ of the available talent and a young inexperienced person
may be a less attractive prospect, as they require time for training and extra support.
Most employers are not able to identify any sources of support to assist them in the
employment of young people and would welcome some help from an external provider.
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The perspective of young people
Young people do not expect or experience an easy search for employment, highlighting
employers’ expectation of previous work experience and competition for jobs as key barriers
to them securing full-time employment.
Young people are experiencing increased competition for jobs from older, more experienced
and often over-qualified people.
Asset Skills sectors employers are currently not on ‘the radar’ for many young people who
demonstrate a lack of awareness of the industries and entry points. However, positively,
when ‘educated’ about the opportunities available, a significant minority describe changing
their opinion for the better.
When compared, employer expectations and approach to recruitment and young people’s
approach to job searching do little to help increase young people’s employment in the
sectors.
o Young people are not perceived to be well prepared for the recruitment process.
o Employers do not usually actively target young people in their recruitment, and lack
awareness of the channels used by young people to access information about job
vacancies.
When thinking about seeking employment, young people tend to think more about the type
of role they would like to enter rather than considering sectors they would like to work in.
There is a particular lack of awareness of opportunities within the Asset Skills sectors for
highly qualified young people who have yet to enter the workplace and this presents an
opportunity for the industries to build this knowledge.
Stimulating the employment of young people
A solution, such as an employment charter, which effectively provides practical
employability training to tackle ‘the experience trap’, recruitment process, and young
people’s perception of the sectors is required and welcomed by employers.
Employers expressed a wish that their voices are heard when developing any employability
training in order to ensure that the needs of their industry are fully represented.
It is important that Asset Skills must allow employers to hold a stake in such a Charter’s
development and also consider its appeal to young people, in order to ensure success if this
initiative is implemented.
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5. Literature Review
Introduction 5.1.
This literature review begins by giving some context in relation to the employment of young people
and its importance, as well as its particular significance to Asset Skills employers. Detail is then
provided on some of the most significant issues around the employment of young people, such as
the current economic climate, the views of employers, the link between education and employers,
and the aspirations and views of young people.
Context 5.2.
The employment of young people1 is of significant importance, not only to the labour market, but
society as a whole; there are an estimated 7.5 million young people aged 16 to 24 in the UK and they
make up 12% of the national population (Office for National Statistics, 2010). These individuals
represent the workforce of tomorrow and will be crucial to the performance of the UK and its
economy in the long term.
Despite their potential value, many young people are finding it particularly difficult to enter into the
labour market which is leading to rising levels of youth unemployment. The generally accepted
definition of unemployment includes all those without work, available for work, and actively seeking
work. In early 2012 youth unemployment in the UK was reported to be over 1 million2 and the youth
unemployment rate (at 22%) was reported to be higher than any point since comparable records
began in 1992 (City & Guilds, 2012). Internationally, the UK sits roughly mid-way between the youth
unemployment rate in the Netherlands (9%) and Spain (42%) (The Scottish Parliament, 2012),
illustrating that it is a significant issue for the UK.
It is crucial that unemployment amongst young people is tackled effectively - research has shown
that unemployment amongst young people can have a number of longer term impacts on the
individual and wider society – potentially impacting upon future earning potential, the individual’s
health, and the probability that a person will become involved in crime (Bell and Blanchflower,
2010). These impacts have been reported to be more significant amongst 16-24 year olds than is the
case amongst other age groups. In summary, the employment of young people is vitally important
on a number of levels, namely:
To employers and businesses
To the economy
To the individual
To wider society
1 The term young people refers to those aged 16-24
2 In period Nov 2011 – Jan 2012. Source: House of Commons Library, 14
th March 2012
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It is therefore crucial to examine the barriers which prevent young people from entering the labour
market, and how they may best be addressed.
The context within Asset Skills industries 5.3.
Current evidence available to Asset Skills suggests that there may be particular barriers to the
employment of young people across the sectors in its footprint. On average, 16-24 year olds
account for 13% of the workforce across all UK sectors (Annual Population Survey, 2010), which is
higher than the proportion seen in each of the Asset Skills sectors – the proportion in the cleaning
and housing sectors stands at 10%, while in property it is 8%, and in facilities management it falls to
just 7%.
The significance of this issue is heightened by the fact that many employers are now faced with
having to deal with an ageing workforce. The proportion of people aged 55 or older is higher than
the UK all sector average of 17% in the cleaning industry (22%), the property industry (25%), and the
facilities management industry (26%) (Annual Population Survey, 2010). If this situation is not
effectively addressed employers potentially risk facing significant issues around succession planning
and, in the long term, being unable to replace the skills of those individuals that leave, leading to
skills vacancies. As a result, research conducted by Asset Skills has highlighted the need to attract
younger individuals into the facilities management and property industries in particular as a priority
area for action (Asset Skills, 2012a-d).
This research aims to examine the specific nature of the barriers which exist around the employment
of young people across the Asset Skills sectors and the steps that can be taken to overcome these
barriers and stimulate a greater level of youth employment across the sectors.
The current climate 5.4.
Young people today looking to enter into the labour market potentially face a greater challenge than
any generation in recent memory, as the typical barriers faced by young people looking to enter the
workforce are being heightened by a diminishing number of opportunities as a result of the
economic climate.
The recent recession in the UK has highlighted the vulnerability of young job seekers to changes in
economic conditions:
These rises in unemployment figures are unsurprising given that young people are now having to
compete for a diminishing number of jobs with a growing number of people. However, the economic
climate can have a deeper impact than simply a decrease in the number of jobs available; it can also
have consequences which are particularly unfair to young people. For example, if employers are
working within increasingly tight budgets, this may impact upon their ability to invest in training and
so make them more likely to hire an individual with a greater level of experience or expertise (who is
likely to be older). Whilst it may be argued that this has always been the case to some extent, the
Since 2007, the unemployment figures amongst 16-24 year olds in the UK has continued to
rise; in the fourth quarter of 2010 it stood at 19%. Within the 16-19 year old bracket this figure
was even higher (27%) (UKCES, 2011).
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economic climate and lack of jobs for those with experience has now made this an increasing reality
across all occupations, with experienced, older staff now competing with younger staff for jobs
which are relatively elementary in nature. This problem appears to be particularly pronounced
throughout the Asset Skills sectors as the economic climate has had a significant impact on its
industries. Employers who took part in recent research cited financial issues and surviving the
economic downturn as a particular challenge to their business (Asset Skills 2012).
The degree of opportunity open to young people in the current climate may be further restricted by
the methods used by employers when recruiting to entry level jobs. It has been noted that when it
comes to entry level positions, many employers are dependent on word of mouth as a cost effective
and easy tool for recruitment (UKCES, 2011); this can obviously act as an advantage to those already
in the workforce (who have built up a network of connections) and a disadvantage to those that are
not – with young people generally falling into the latter category.
It has been noted that, in the current climate, employers who continue to recruit and offer
opportunities are likely to be those in sectors which suffer with high levels of staff turnover as a
result of poor pay and conditions; the most obvious example across the Asset Skills footprint which
fits such a description would be the cleaning sector. However, there is concern that the working
conditions in these industries may lead to young people developing a work history which includes
frequent job changes and leads to disillusionment with work (UKCES, 2011).
The attitude of employers 5.5.
Research with employers commonly finds that when looking to recruit someone they are simply
looking to ‘find the right person for the job’ (UKCES, 2011). However, who the right person is can
depend upon a range of factors, such as the sector in which an employer is based, or the size of their
organisation and it is not always easy to identify the right person through a recruitment process. As
a result, when recruiting any member of staff there is an element of risk involved, however a
reluctance on the part of some employers to recruit young people can be the result of a perception
that younger people present a greater than average risk, particularly as they do not have a proven
work history and that they may prove to be a burden on the business in the short and long term
(UKCES 2011). Employers may also have had negative experiences with younger employees in the
past, or feel that 16-24 year olds do not typically have the skills that they need.
Given the number of complex elements that can go into influencing an employer’s attitude to the
recruitment of young people, there are several barriers to overcome, particularly when it is noted
that such views may be reinforced by other factors such as poor employment practices, or an
absence of effective links with education.
A key part of the process when tackling barriers to the recruitment of young people and encouraging
employers to recruit younger individuals is to first engage with employers about what is important
to them when considering whether or not to hire someone (regardless of age). The following areas
have been highlighted as significant in previous research:
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Possession of specific skills
Possession of relevant qualifications
Past experience in a similar job
Personal circumstances
Personal qualities
Personal qualities appear to be particularly important; a good personality and attitude was
highlighted as the most important factor in recent research from the UKCES (UK Employer
Perspectives Survey 2010), with performance at interview and previous experience also of significant
importance. Qualifications, either academic or vocational, were rated as less important in
comparison.
For some employers within the Asset Skills footprint a wider awareness of the industry in which they
operate and an understanding of the needs of clients is crucial, with work experience highlighted as
a key way to obtain these skills. This highlights another key barrier however – if employers place a
significant amount of value on experience, this potentially leaves young people vulnerable to falling
into what has been referred to as ‘the experience trap.’
The experience trap 5.6.
The requirement for previous experience (particularly important in smaller organisations) can lead
to what has been described as an ‘experience trap’ for young people – meaning they fail to find
employment due to a lack of experience, however their inability to find employment means that it is
not possible for them to gain the experience that they require.
Figure 1 The 'experience trap'
This focus on experience from employers is likely to be a significant one within Asset Skills sectors,
the majority of which (91%) are small in size (employing fewer than 10 staff). Smaller businesses are
said to value experience because it is a good indication of whether a person will be able to ‘hit the
Inability to get a job
Lack of experience
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ground running’ (UKCES, 2011). This experience also acts as an indication that productivity losses
and training needs will be kept to a minimum, which can be particularly important in small
businesses. Conversely, the attainment of specific academic qualifications is reported to be more
important within larger organisations (UKCES, 2011).
From this perspective, it is perhaps unsurprising that 63% of businesses employing 100 or more
people were reported to have recruited a young person in the last 12 months, compared to just 30%
of businesses with fewer than 25 staff (Casebourne, 2011). This would appear to support the idea
that getting young people into smaller organisations is a particular challenge3.
Short-termism 5.7.
An over emphasis on recruits with previous experience or higher qualifications than necessary can
be said to be a reflection of the short-termism which can be found in UK management and
recruitment policies. This short-termism focuses on recruiting people who are immediately
productive rather than those who might form the workforce of the future (UKCES, 2012). As
previously mentioned, it seems likely that this view will be held by many organisations within the
Asset Skills footprint, which are typically small in size and operating within tight profit margins.
A lack of work readiness amongst young people 5.8.
A potential barrier in relation to the attitudes of employers is likely to surround the perception that
young people are not ‘work ready’, meaning that in the views of employers, they do not possess the
right skills and attitudes.
Research conducted by Asset Skills into barriers to apprenticeships in the outsourced sector4
revealed that this may be a view which is held by employers across cleaning and facilities
management. When asked about their general willingness to take on young people5 56% of
respondents stated that they didn’t because young people were not work ready; they did not have
the right skills or attitude (Asset Skills, 2012i). However, it should also be noted that 41% of
employers that took part in the research suggested that they did not have any significant issues
around the recruitment of young people, and regularly employed them.
The link between employers and education 5.9.
The existence of strong links between employer, education and training can act as a key stimulator
to the employment of young people, however, if such links are lacking, it can create a significant
barrier to the employment of 16-24 year olds as there is a far greater chance that those leaving
education will not be equipped with the skills or attributes that employers desire. This can in turn
negatively influence attitudes, which can take a considerable amount of time and effort to change.
Previous research which looked at the views of young people has demonstrated that the link
3 It should be noted that this higher % may be a result of the fact that larger employers recruit on a bigger
scale. 4 This research focused on employers in the cleaning and facilities management sectors.
5 To take on a young person in general - not necessarily as an apprentice
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between education and employment is crucial to tackling the issue of youth unemployment (City &
Guilds, 2012) and, in 2012, the Education and Employers Taskforce found that young people that had
contact at least four times with employers were five times more likely to be in education,
employment or training than their peers who had no such contacts. Employer visits were found to
be the most useful contact with an employer (City & Guilds, 2012)6.
Previous research has suggested that information around careers should be shifted away from
careers advisors and towards those channels that have been shown to be more useful (particularly
parents and employers) (City & Guilds, 2012).
Employers are involved with educational establishments in a variety of different ways: they can take
on the role of consumers when they hire young people that leave school or college, or their role may
be that of a stakeholder if they get involved in the design, development, management, delivery and
assessment of learning (UKCES, 2011).
There are a number of potential gains for employers who do choose to engage with the education
system, namely:
Greater productivity
Lower turnover
Reduced costs – around training and supervision
A closing of the gap between their business needs and schools and college provision. This
can help to avoid the development of skills vacancies in the long term.
Balancing the benefits with the time and cost 5.10.
Despite the potential benefits of forming links with the education system, it is often the case that
many employers and businesses do not take measures to do so. One apparent reason for this is that
any potential benefits associated with these links need to be set against the cost of doing so.
Engagement is time consuming - schools or colleges need to be identified, staff need to liaise with
them, and work placements are costly. This time and cost needs to be considered if such a process is
to be compared with recruitment practices that are of lower cost to employers (even if they
disadvantage young job seekers) (UKCES, 2011).
The complexity of the education system and the frequency with which it changes means employers
can find it difficult to identify ‘who does what’ within the system and within individual institutions
(UKCES, 2011). This can make it difficult for employers to develop effective links with the education
system and mean that, on occasions when these links are developed, they may be fragile in nature –
often existing between specific people and being vulnerable to staff turnover.
6 This research did include people that were younger than 16.
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Challenges facing smaller organisations 5.11.
One issue which both sides of the employer-education relationship are agreed upon is that the
constraints on education-business links are much greater, relatively, for small and medium sized
enterprises (SMEs) than for larger organisations (UKCES, 2011). As a result, it is fair to suggest that
the difficulties inherent in forming links with the education system create a barrier which is likely to
be of particular significance across Asset Skills sectors due to the fact that many employers are small
in size. Small businesses often face greater challenges in terms of understanding the structures and
processes of educational establishments, and the process of forming links between small businesses
and education providers can be disproportionately time consuming (UKCES, 2011). Equally, it is often
not easy for SMEs to take on young people for purely ethical reasons. Employers may be working
within very tight profit margins, as discussed earlier, a significant issue for Asset Skills organisations.
Under these circumstances, in addition to understanding the process, there must also be a clear
business case for doing so.
The longer term consequences 5.12.
A lack of employer links with education providers can have serious long term implications, it can lead
to a lack of awareness of the potential opportunities available to young people in a particular sector.
This issue has been recognised as a particular problem in the facilities management industry; a lack
of clearly defined entry points into the sector has historically made it difficult for young people to
identify a clear progression pathway into the sector; which, may have contributed to the low
proportion of people aged under 25 currently working within it (just 7%) (Asset Skills 2012a-d).
Efforts to build stronger relationships between business and educational establishments are likely to
lead to benefits for both employers and young people in the long term. Evidence suggests that the
education system currently does add some value for employers; many young people who are in
employment are well qualified, meaning the qualifications are of value to employers, or at very
least, individuals that hold certain qualifications have the skills and qualities that they desire.
The aspirations and views of young people 5.13.
It is significantly easier for organisations to attract young people into their business if those
individuals view the industry as desirable and aspirational to work within. Evidence suggests that the
sectors that young people aspire to work in are varied and alter as people get older. Research into
this area has shown that, by the time people are aged between 16-18, the most popular career
choices involve work in health care, social care or hospitals, engineering, or science (City & Guilds,
2012). Once people move past the age of 18 these aspirations may alter again, however there is a
greater potential for their career choice to be more heavily influenced by qualifications that they
have undertaken or achieved.
There may be a range of factors which will potentially influence where a young person aspires to
work – jobs that they are made aware of through the media or through education may influence
their thinking for example, while knowing someone else that works in a particular area may also
have an impact. The views of an individual’s parents can have a significant impact, however evidence
suggests that this influence diminishes as a person gets older, to the point where it is not the most
crucial factor by the time they reach 16 - only 35% of 16-18 year olds that took part in recent
17
research stated that their parents were their biggest influence in relation to their career aspirations
(City & Guilds, 2012).
Evidence suggests that, when it comes to young people’s aspirations, Asset Skills sectors do not
typically feature prominently. Research undertaken with 16-24 year olds based in Newham and
Town Hamlets (who were not in employment) showed that the sectors that they most aspired to
work in included wholesale and retail trade (15%) and health (12%). Further to this, there appears to
be a correlation between these aspirations and the destination of young people. Evidence suggests
that wholesale, retail & repair of motor vehicles, and accommodation and food services account for
almost 63% of all employment of 16-18 year olds, with real estate activities accounting for less than
1% of the total employment of 16, 17 and 18 year olds (Labour Force Survey, 2010).
For many employers across the Asset Skills footprint it is a challenge to attract young people into
their sectors. The cleaning industry has to deal with negative perceptions around low wages, the
nature of the work, or a perceived lack of career opportunities for example, whilst within facilities
management, there may be a lack of clear understanding around what work within the sector
involves as well as a lack of clear entry points and progression routes. However, the development of
further entry points does not guarantee a higher level of interest from young people; illustrated by
the fact that 55% of cleaning and facilities management employers which took part in recent Asset
Skills research into barriers to apprenticeships stated that it was challenging to attract young people
to apply for an apprenticeship in the sector (Asset Skills, 2012i).
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6. Primary research requirement & method
The research requirement 6.1.
Whilst the available literature highlights some challenges to the employment of young people within
the Asset Skills footprint, questions remain as to what the most prominent challenges are for
employers and young people. Moreover, an independent evidence base is required to either support
or challenge the literature, to ensure any investment in solutions and initiatives is successful.
Therefore, research is required to answer questions that remain and give clear answers as to the
relationship between employers and young people in the Asset Skills sectors.
The overarching business objective is:
Research objectives 6.2.
In order to achieve this business objective, a programme of research was required which would
address the following research objectives:
Provide solutions to the key barriers which prevent the employment of young people in the Asset Skills Sectors
Business & Employers
Identify the barriers that prevent employers in the sector from employing young people; answering specifically;
• Are there issues around job readiness, or the attitudes of young people?
• Do young people lack the specific skills required? If so, which specific skills?
Identify solutions to overcome these barriers • Would training in particular areas be of benefit?
• How can young people be better prepared for the workplace and what is expected of them?
Identify the key business case stimulators for employing young people • What would motivate businesses to take on more young people?
Young People
Identify the issues that prevent young people entering the sector • Are the Asset Skills sectors perceived as attractive career options?
• Do young people aspire to work in these sectors?
• Are they made aware of the potential careers in these sectors?
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Research Method 6.3.
The following methodologies were selected to effectively address the research objectives:
6.3.1. Sample overview: Employers
The sample for the qualitative research was primarily split by sector, to ensure an equal
representation within the small sample of the Asset Skills footprint. In addition we ensured a
representation of the whole of the UK and that the size of organisation reflected the make-up of the
footprint.
Figure 2 Employer sample: Sector coverage
Sector Number of interviews
Cleaning 3 Facilities management 3 Housing 3 Property services 3 Total 12
Figure 3 Employer sample: UK coverage
Country Number of interviews
England 4 Scotland 3 Wales 3 Northern Ireland 2 Total 12
Figure 4 Employer sample: Size of organisation
Size of organisation Number of interviews
4-9 employees 4 10-49 employees 4 50+ employees 4 Total 12
Employers Young people
12 depth interviews with Asset Skills
employers
60 minute teledepths
Conducted in November & December
2012
Online questionnaire with 16-24 year
olds
300 interviews
Conducted in November & December
2012
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6.3.2. Sample overview: Young people
Within this element of research, we defined and split the sample by 16-24 year olds who are
employed, students in full-time education and the unemployed.
Gender, region, and skill level were allowed to fall out naturally within the research, with the overall
sample falling out as is shown in Table 1.
Table 1 16-24 year old sample overview
% Total base (n=301)
Employment status Employed 37 Students in full-time education 26 Unemployed 37
UK region* England 86 Scotland 6 Wales 4 Northern Ireland 2
Age 16-17 10 18-21 50 22-24 40
Gender Male 21 Female 79
Qualifications held & being studied for** Postgraduate qualifications (PhD, MA, MSc) or professional & vocational equivalent
8
Undergraduate degree or professional & vocational equivalent
40
A-Levels or AS Levels 39 GCSEs 36
Length of unemployment (n=111) 0-3 months 18 4-6 months 14 7-11 months 14 1-2 years 29 Longer than 2 years 20 Don’t know 5
* 2% Not classified due to unavailable data
** Adds to more than 100% due to multiple qualifications held
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7. Attitudes towards employing young people
Method overview 7.1.
Introduction 7.2.
Before considering the attitudes of employers in the Asset Skills sectors to employing young people,
the overarching requirements of employers in general must be considered. Within the research, and
within the literature reviewed, employers require a workforce which is able to deliver against key
requirements. This issue is of increasing importance, in a recent study, Asset Skills (2012), found that
all participating businesses cited financial issues and the current economic climate as a challenge to
their survival, which is liklely to impact upon recruitment processes and the level of experience they
require from staff. Consequently, it is important that employees are able to deliver against all
overarching requirements shown in Figure 5 below, which have been identified within this research
and are further discussed below:
Figure 5 Key requirements from employees
The research supports the findings of Asset Skills and UKCES that these needs should be considered
in the context of the current economic climate when exploring attitudes to young people.
Financial output to sustain delivery of core services
Quality delivery of services
Efficient and high productivity to maintain profitable delivery
Ability to protect and grow the organisation’s reputation
12 x 60 minute depth interiews
Undertaken with employers within the four Asset Skills sectors, responsible for decision making
with regards to the employment of young people with coverage across England, Scotland,
Northern Ireland and Wales
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Attitudes to the employment of young people 7.3.
Positively, employers across the Asset Skills sectors do express a desire to employ young people,
there is a strong sense that they would ‘like to give young people a chance’. This is, in part, driven by
awareness that the economic climate has not just had an impact on business, but has also created a
number of challenges for young people. However there are a number of specific challenges for some
to overcome, in order to enable employers to put this into action.
Figure 6 Positives and negatives of employing young people
It should be noted that these positives and negatives, which will be discussed in more depth later,
are not exclusively specific to young people. Employers acknowledge that all employees come with a
degree of risk and this varies from individual to individual. The research also demonstrates that
employers appreciate the diversity young people bring to the workforce.
1. Enthusiasm
2. Fresh perspective
3. Malleable to business needs
4. IT Literate and ‘Tech ready’
5. Cheaper labour
6. Potential to develop
1. Inability to self promote
2. Lack of experience &
proven work history
3. Lack of life experience
4. Lack of work ethic
5. Lack of energy
6. Practical challenges
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Positives to employing young people 7.4.
Enthusiasm
Employers were particularly impressed with the levels of ‘enthusiasm’ that young people are seen as
bringing to their business. There is a strong perception that 16-24 year olds straight out of education
are often eager to immerse themselves within a business and demonstrate their ability. When
describing this enthusiasm, comparisons are made with their established workforce who may have
become slightly ‘jaded’ and now lack this degree of enthusiasm. This vitality is viewed positively by
employers and felt to inject ‘fresh air’ into the business and workforce.
“I have a young lad working for me at the minute and he puts the others to shame.
I always pay him a bit extra because he gets through so much work, the other lads
look at what he’s getting and they know they have to pull their socks up”
Cleaning company, 10-49 employees
“I’ve had some great young people who are really keen to move on. I’ve got an
eighteen year old at the minute that I’ve just made a supervisor. Some of my older
staff I’ve had for years, they turn up, do the bare minimum and go home”
Cleaning company, 50 + employees
Fresh Perspectives
Employers all feel that young people can bring a ‘new outlook’ to the workforce, and challenge
established ways of doing things. Their lack of familiarity with specific processes means that they will
often question the ‘status quo’. This is cited as a positive for many employers as it enables
businesses to develop themselves and adapt processes, which in turn means that they can find new
ways to increase productivity and save time and money. Some employers also found that young
people are exposed to industry developments in vocational education courses, which they as
employers may miss.
“I think sometimes, it’s easy to get stuck in the same old ways of doing things and
I’ve had young people say “why are you doing it that way?”. Being challenged
means we can improve the way we do things” Property services, 10-49 employees
Malleable to business needs
A number of employers describe young people as being ‘mouldable’ and therefore can be easily
taught their way of doing things. This is a perceived benefit as despite having to spend time training
young people in the initial stages of employment, the result is an employee who has been trained
specifically to the business’ needs. Young people are an attractive proposition for some as they have
not developed any ‘bad habits’ which are perceived to be more difficult and time consuming for the
employer to correct. In addition, young people are seen by some employers as being more flexible
and willing to take on a variety of different roles which some of their more established counterparts
may be less keen to do.
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There is also a financial benefit to this, for employers who require specialist skills or qualifications. In
the long-term, investment in training young people can be cheaper and easier than trying to seek
out and recruit those with the necessary skills.
“I’d much rather take on a young person that I can train up in my way of doing
things than someone who’s been doing the job for years and has learnt lots of bad
habits. It’s much harder to get rid of bad habits than to learn things from scratch”
Property services, 10-49 employees
“We need people with specific technical qualifications to work in labs, but we
struggled to find the right people so we have just introduced a new grad scheme so
that we can get them trained up on the job. We have just started to look at how
we can expand on these schemes to get more inexperienced young people into the
business”
Facilities management, 50 + employees
IT Literate and ‘Tech ready’
Young people are viewed as IT literate by employers and in the Asset Skills sectors there is an
increasing demand for this skill set. Across the footprint, employers mentioned roles that now
require some IT literacy (that previously wouldn’t have) and in businesses with older staff there is a
sense the ‘IT learning curve’ would take some time. This ‘Tech ready’ generation of young people are
perceived to be adaptable and able to move with the changing face of employers’ businesses.
Cheaper labour
Across the Asset Skills sectors, employers do make reference to the lower cost of employing young
people. Where there is confidence young people are able to deliver against requirements, this lower
cost enhances efficiency and has clear financial benefits to the business. In the main this is a
secondary benefit of employing young people, as the primary concern of employers is delivering
against their core business requirements and maintaining core services. However for some Asset
skills employers who do not need the same level of skills, qualifications or experience (such as the
cleaning sector for example) the lower cost of employing younger people can be a key factor in the
consideration of their employment.
Potential to develop
Referred to as ‘succession planning’ by larger organisations with a HR function, but acknowledged as
a requirement across all respondents, employers are conscious that they need some age diversity in
their workforce. Notably, this was less apparent for businesses of less than ten people, who did not
discuss the future of their business as explicitly. Succession planning takes two forms:
1. Planning to replace an ageing workforce: this is more commonly a driver in larger
organisations, such as Housing Associations or Facilities Mangement companies,
therefore not typical of the Asset Skills employer.
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“Lots of my staff members work in teams, I usually try to have a young person
working with a team of older people, it means that they can learn the job and
eventually be leading the team themselves”
Facilities management, 50 +employees
2. To ensure physical tasks are completed: young people are viewed as having physical
strength on their side and, with a number of roles having physical requirements, young
people are felt to be beneficial.
Literacy and numeracy
Though not highlighted as a positive specific to young people, in this small sample there was an
overall satisfaction with the level of literacy and numeracy skills which young people possess, and
this was not identified as an area of concern for employers in the Asset Skills footprint.
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Challenges to employing young people 7.5.
Whilst employers are able to identify several positives to employing young people, there are also a
number of negatives, both perceived and experienced.
Inability to self-promote
A significant concern for employers is that young people are lacking the skills to even get through
the recruitment process despite having the skills to do the job. Recruitment practices vary by
organisation size and the presence of a HR function. However all employers require applications to
be focused and well written. Employers expressed frustration that many young people are not
adequately prepared by the education system to succesfuly complete a CV or application form, or to
understand interview etiquete. Some employers expressed concern that schools and colleges are
failing young people by not teaching them the basic skills they need at the recruitment stage. This
can lead to some employers feeling that they are unable to give the young person a chance, despite
sensing they would be able to do the job.
“I get CVs from young people and they don’t seem to have the first idea about how
to sell themselves. I’ve had them come for interview and they just don’t know how
to behave. I had one young lad and he got top marks in his year at college and he’d
done some fantastic placements, but none of this was in his CV. I only found all this
out in the last few minutes of his interview.”
Cleaning, 10-49 employees
“I asked one girl what sort of interview preparation her college had given her and
she said they just practised interviewing each other. No one had told them what
they should do and no one supervised or told them what to ask. It’s no wonder they
haven’t got a clue!”
Facilities management, 50+ employees
Lack of experience
In support of the idea of an ‘experience trap’ mentioned in the literature review, this research
highlights the fact that a lack of experience often prevents young people gaining employment.
Whilst some employers feel this can be countered by the positive characteristics young people bring
to a role (such as enthusiasm and fresh perspective), employers also need to do the right thing in
terms of meeting business requirements. A lack of experience can have a significant impact on some
Asset Skills employers because of the size of the organisation further increasing the pressure on each
individual’s output; and for some the need for technical expertise. Small companies are not able to
provide the necessary levels of supervision and need people who can ‘hit the ground running’.
“I only have a few employees and they all have to work independently, I can’t take
on a young person with no experience because I just don’t have the time or
capacity to train them up”
Cleaning company 4-9 employees
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Although there is an acknowledgement that this need for experience can lead to young people being
treated unfairly in the job market, employers see themselves as having to make hard choices. Whilst
there is an attitudinal desire to ‘give young people a chance’, getting the right person, with the most
appropriate skillset and experience for the job often takes precedence. Furthermore, within the
current climate, employers feel there is no shortage of experienced recruits.
“If I’ve got twenty people turning up for a position, while I might like to give a
young person a chance, someone with five years’ experience is going to be able
come in and get on with it. I wouldn’t take the risk with a young person”
Property Services, 6 employees
Lack of endorsement
For some employers young people can represent a risk, which is perpetuated by the fact that they
often don’t have employer references. Whilst employers acknowledge all recruitment has some
element of risk, young people don’t have a proven work history so it is a step into the unknown for
employers. Despite the fact that most employers recruit people on a trial basis, the process of
having to re-advertise and retrain if it doesn’t work out can be time consuming and costly for the
company. Taking on someone with experience goes some way to negating this risk.
Lack of life experience
Some employers observe that young people can often display a lack of maturity, partly driven by
their lack of life experience, this is a concern for some employers within the Asset Skills footprint.
Across the Asset Skills sectors, there are many different client facing requirements; whether it is a
cleaner operating within an office, or an employee of a housing association visiting sheltered
housing. The multitude of situations that employees can face require a certain level of maturity to
deal with varied situations. Servicing professional offices means that prospective employees may
encounter individuals of all levels, and should be able to communicate effectively with them.
As shown in the following case study, employees in the Asset Skills sectors may be faced with a
range of situations. It is not only a concern that individuals can carry out their duties in a variety of
different environments, but also that young people feel confident in their work and will not suffer
any negative consequences as a result of lacking the necessary maturity to deal with difficult
situations.
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Lack of work ethic
This research indicates that work readiness should not only be understood as having the appropriate
skills and experience, but also to be emotionally and behaviourally prepared for work. Whilst
employers reference young people having enthusiasm, there are also inferences that this is not
consistent.
Employers with experience of employing young people refer to inconsistencies, with some negative
experiences of young people simply not being prepared to apply themselves. This is seen as a
symptom of the education system failing to prepare young people for the workplace culture, but
many also believe parents have a role to play in developing a good work ethic.
A poor work ethic is also felt to lead to inappropriate workplace behaviour, manifesting itself in a
number of ways such as shouting, making personal calls or being overly casual with senior staff
members. Some concerns were raised by Asset Skills businesses who may be working with
chemicals, such as cleaning materials, that this propensity for ‘fooling around’ combined with a lack
of maturity may pose a health and safety risk.
“We have had a few young people who don’t seem to realise when playtime ends
and work starts. You have to knock that out of them in the first few weeks”
Facilities management company 50+ employees
Lack of energy
A lack of energy in the workplace is apparent in some young people, and was cited as a negative
point for a number of employers. Whilst this appears contradictory to the earlier finding that
enthusiasm is identified by many employers as a positive characteristic which young people bring to
the workplace, it is nevertheless a concern for some employers. Employers refer to situations where
once a young person has settled into the job and realised the level of work that is expected of them,
their enthusiasm often diminishes and they can show a lack of energy at work. It is felt that
education could better prepare young people for the reality of the workplace in terms of experience,
behaviour and expectations.
Case study: Housing Association, Wales, 50+ Employees
This housing association is responsible for a number of sheltered homes, some of which
house people requiring care. For roles within the organisation that require visits to the
sheltered homes themselves, there is a chance that an individual may be faced with a
situation beyond the remit of their job role, such as emotional upset or particularly unkept
homes.
This housing association have had a situation where a young person has faced an unkept
home, to the extreme of excrement all over the bathroom. The young person was uncertain
how to conduct themselves appropriately and manage the situation. This was not only an
issue from the organisation’s perspective, but a level of pastoral care was felt toward the
young person who was not prepared for this.
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Falling foul of practicalities and processes
With the employment of young people comes a number of practical challenges, which can pose large
barriers to the success in their applications for employment:
Health & Safety: Across the Asset Skills footprint health and safety is an ongoing
concern for all employees, especially where chemicals are involved. Whilst
employers ensure their staff are trained they mention that young people come
with a lower awareness of health & safety practices and requirements, which they
believe education could provide a better awareness of.
Insurances: Another issue is the cost of insuring young people, especially where
they may encounter chemicals, machinery or be required to drive vehicles. For
small businesses this can place financial pressure that negates the benefit of low
cost labour.
Reliance on public transport: Employers note that young people are more reliant
on public transport which can impact on reliability, and where there is lower
enthusiasm, act as a barrier to young people persisting with a job.
These practicalities, whilst not likely to solely prevent the employment of a young person, do
increase pressure on employers and can negate potential opportunities.
Other considerations 7.6.
Competition in the market
Competition in the market is a key consideration which impacts on the employment of young people
generally, and specifically, to the Asset Skills sectors. As Asset Skills industries are typically made up
of small organisations, it is crucial that each individual is the ‘right person for the job’, and in the
current market there are a multitude of people who already have experience and the required
skillset to ‘hit the ground running’.
There is also an issue for those young people who do not have higher level qualifications. Many
graduates who are unable to find a suitable graduate position are now applying for roles for which
they are over qualified. Many graduates have work experience through part time work and this has a
significant impact on those less qualified, as they are a less attractive proposition for employers who
can have their pick of the available talent.
The recruitment process
The recruitment process itself can form a structural barrier to young people securing positions in the
Asset Skills industries. Most employers do not actively or consciously seek to employ young people.
All believe that they advertise in ways which are accessed by all, but few seriously consider the likely
audience that their job advertisement will reach.
Cost is a key consideration for most when seeking to recruit. The majority of employers advertise
through the Job Centre and by placing advertisements in local newspapers because they offer free or
extremely low cost advertisement. Moreover, most felt that these methods would reach a wide
audience demographically. Whilst some employers show an awareness that young people may
search on social media or generally online, there was little consideration of actually using different
30
channels that may be used by young people to gain information about job vacancies. Some
employers were not even able to identify ways in which young people could be specifically targeted.
“I don’t really know how you would go about specifically targeting young people,
short of going out into the street and asking them”
Cleaning company, 4-9 employees
Larger organisations are more likely to actively target young people and use tailored methods to
reach them. As the case study below exemplifies, some larger organisations already have established
links with government and education in order to target young people with their recruitment.
However, whilst this research covered a small sample, this is not as typical of smaller organisations
which make up the majority of the Asset Skills footprint.
Figure 7 Case study: Facilities management
Another larger organisation has established links with their local college who assist in recruitment by
identifying and recommending students from suitable vocational courses. The recommendations of
tutors is seen as removing some of the risk of recruiting young people;
“The local college knows our business and what we need from employees. If I get a
recommendation from the course tutor, then I know they will fit well into the
company. It does remove that element of risk.”
Facilities management company, 50+ employees
Although many employers describe themselves as open to the idea of employing young people,
some of their recruitment practices may leave young people at a disadvantage.
Word of mouth plays an important role in the recruitment process for many Asset Skills sector
organisations, particularly for smaller companies who see it as a useful way of saving time and
Case study: Facilities management, 50+ employees
Based in Wales, this facilities management business had recently implemented a graduate
training scheme.
In order to find candidates with the right qualities, the company worked with ‘Go Wales’
which is managed by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) and delivered
by University Careers Services in Wales. The assistance offered by Go Wales was seen as
invaluable as they filtered applicants to ensure that they only received candidates who
exactly fulfilled their requirements. This experience with Go Wales means that the business
has reviewed their recruitment procedures and aim to target more young people in the
future.
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money. However there is an acknowledgement from some employers that this leads to recruitment
patterns being replicated, but the method is free and works effectively for these businesses.
“Word of mouth is really important for us when we’re recruiting; it tends to be
friends and family of people who work for us but that suits us, it saves time and
money and they do tend to work out better than people who come from the job
centre.”
Cleaning company, 10-49 employees
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8. How challenges can be overcome
For most employers interviewed, the challenges to recruiting young people are not insurmountable
and, an overarching desire to ‘give young people a chance’ remains. However, these challenges do
exist and in order to overcome them, there is a requirement for action. This action must address
challenges and help facilitate the young people’s delivery against core business requirements.
The remainder of this section focuses on solutions to these challenges and the delivery of them.
The Employment Charter 8.1.
The Employment Charter concept was tested with employers, along with a description of how it may
work. In terms of solutions, the concept of the charter is an excellent place to start.
Figure 8 The Employment Charter description
Without exception, the outline of the charter was well received as an idea, and seen as filling an
existing gap, with the caveat that it must be delivered ‘correctly’. The suggestion of being offered
‘some support’ was welcomed by a number of employers who describe themselves as unaware of
any other sources of support or guidance available to them to facilitate the employment of young
people.
However, In order to fully achieve employer buy-in, the charter must counter the key challenges that
employers identify and require support on.
“I feel quite strongly that we all have a role in supporting young people, we should
work in partnership to build their confidence and develop skills. Young people are
vulnerable, and it’s such a change of environment from education into the
workplace. If we build their confidence, then they can go on to be really productive
members of the workforce”
Cleaning, 10-49 employees
The Employment Charter
The charter would ask both employers and education providers (such as further education
institutions or schools) to sign up with a view to improving the level of engagement
between employers in the sector and the education system, and strengthen their working
relationship.
Those within education would make a commitment to provide employability training to
newly unemployed young people to better prepare them for work in the sector. Employers
would then make a commitment to offer work placements to candidates.
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Designing an effective charter and solution 8.2.
There is an opportunity for the Employment Charter to challenge the aforementioned barriers, and
demonstrate young people’s delivery against the core business requirements. Figure 9 demonstrates
where the positives and negatives of employing young people map against core requirements that
employers have for all employees:
Both the positives and negatives map against more than one business requirement of employers.
The key focus here, rather than the positives, is assessing challenges to the employment of young
people against the core business needs, with a view to finding solutions that target these challenges.
On discussion of solutions and the Employment Charter, employers raised questions which will need
to underpin the design of the eventual Employment Charter or additional solutions. These
considerations and suggestions will be crucial to ensuring employer commitment to (and
engagement with) a charter.
Figure 9 Challenges and negatives against key requirements
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Considerations and suggestions 8.3.
Training delivery
There are fundamental concerns from some employers in the Asset Skills sectors about the
suitability of teachers to deliver employability training. There is a view that teachers lack an
appreciation of the needs of industry as they ‘never leave education’. There was some suggestion
from employers that they would like to see members of industry involved in the delivery of training
in addition to teachers, in order to ensure young people receive a strong steer towards what
business’ actually need.
Forum for employer input
In the case of the Asset Skills sectors, employers would like to be stakeholders rather than
consumers of education and training output. Employers have stressed that they don’t want
education providers to assume that their prescribed employability training will meet their needs.
Rather, employers would like to have some input, or at least the knowledge that education and
business have collaborated to ensure the output meets their objectives. Employers expressed a
preference to help shape the content and design of the training.
The suggested course content below is felt to tackle the key issue of ‘lack of experience’ effectively,
and employers felt that this could best meet their needs and produce a high standard of prospective
young recruits.
Workplace scenarios
Even within the classroom setting, creating scenarios which replicate real situations that young
people may experience within the Asset Skills footprint and the working world generally is believed
to be a strong alternative to paper based training, providing realistic experiences and also an
indication of what will be required of individuals.
Scenarios should focus on developing an understanding of appropriate workplace behaviour so that
employers do not have to spend valuable time teaching acceptable behaviour rather than training
for the job.
Recruitment process training
As referenced previously, young people’s inability to self-promote can prevent them securing full-
time positions. Integrating training on how to effectively research a business, complete applications
and CVs which will meet employer needs and even mock interviews (with advice and feedback) is
viewed as a necessary requirement for any training solution. If this is provided effectively, it could
have a significant impact on young peoples’ ability to ‘get a foot’ on the employment ladder.
Health & Safety awareness
Health and safety is a practicality which employers believe employability training should cover.
Whilst certified Health & Safety awareness would be welcomed, there is no expectation that this will
be delivered by the education system or Asset Skills. Rather, ensuring young people have a basic
awareness which demonstrates the risks they may encounter in the workplace, and appropriate
behaviour to avoid such risks, would offer a large step forward with regards to this challenge.
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Extended work placements
Employers have stated their dissatisfaction with the length of work experience placements when
young people are still in full-time education. Smaller businesses say they may struggle to supervise
work placements, but extended work placements were suggested and welcomed by many. By
‘extended,’ employers refer to anything from one to three months, with some suggestions of one
day per week for three months or alternative patterns which would combine with training .
Buddying and shadowing
Some employers feel that while they have developed and implemented their own systems for
supporting young people in the transitional phase from education to employment, such as buddying
or mentoring schemes, they would value more involvement from other external organisations such
as schools or colleges to help young people gain an appreciation of the working environment. There
was a sense from many that this transitional phase was key for young people and that support
would enable them to develop confidence which in turn would help build other skills, such as
communication, to enable them to succeed in the workplace.
Endorsement & applicant sifting
Businesses which have already forged links with external organisations, such as local colleges, report
higher levels of confidence when recruiting young people from these sources and obtaining
endorsements from them. An Employment Charter would be a mechanism to facilitate these links.
In addition, some employers have found these links to work as a ‘sifting service’ which ensures they
are only presented with suitable candidates. Employers report having trust in the judgement of the
tutors or careers advisors, who they feel understand the nature of their business and their specific
needs.
Financial incentives
For a number of Asset Skills employers, particularly SMEs, financial incentives may encourage them
to consider recruiting young people. The lack of experience of young people means that employers
have to invest time and money into training them to ensure they are work ready, this represents
additional cost and there is also the added risk that the young person may leave. Financial support is
seen as providing a buffer until the young person can get up to speed and be able to fully contribute
to the workforce.
One suggestion of a suitable financial incentive would be co-funding of the young person’s wage,
from the employer and incentive provider. This would be welcomed by all sizes of organisation, with
some larger businesses saying such an initiative may enable them to create job roles that would not
be viable if solely employer funded.
36
As Figure 10, above, demonstrates, an Employment Charter developed with these considerations
and suggestions in mind, will begin to create challenges to the negatives associated with the
employment of young people and if it is focussed on the output that employers want, will have
the strongest chance of engaging businesses across the Asset Skills footprint.
Figure 10 Challenging negatives associated with the employment of young people
37
9. The employment situation from the perspective of
young people
Method overview 9.1.
Introduction 9.2.
The challenge for Asset Skills does not solely lie with employers, as young people themselves should
hold responsibility for their own career choice. As alluded to in the literature review, the Asset Skills
sectors are not industries that predominate the career choices of young people, (real estate
activities account for just 1% of the total employment of 16, 17 and 18 year olds) (Labour Force
Survey 2010). Further, evidence from Asset Skills (2006) suggests that the Asset Skills sectors miss
out on people aged 16-24 and attract ‘career changers’ instead.
Therefore the questions are posed: are young people not attracted to the sectors or is this due to
low awareness of the potential careers in the sectors?
One consideration is that it is the perception of the public, and commonly, parents that can be
powerful in shaping career choice. In addition, whilst there are pathways into the cleaning, facilities
management, housing and property sectors, there have been broad references to confusion around
the pathways into, or opportunities within, these sectors. Further to the literature review, this is
exemplified by Linda Hausmanis, Head of the British Institute of Facilities Management, who
commented on the confusion young people have coming into the sector; which is unsurprising in the
context of employer barriers. Hausmanis argues that “It's also about professionalising the role”,
suggesting that the sector ‘brand’ is a key factor. This ‘brand’ presence can come from within
education institutions and also from the media, but knowledge to date suggests work is required to
raise the profile of Asset Skills’ sectors.
Clearly, there are questions that remain as to what the key issues are that prevent young people
from entering the sector, and ultimately what the practical solutions will be to overcome these
challenges.
The remainder of this section draws on the perspective of 301 young people who responded to this
research with a view to highlighting where the issues lie. The section provides context to young
people’s approach to job searches, careers and more specifically, the Asset Skills sectors.
Online survey with 301 X 16-24 Year olds
Covering employed, full-time students and the unemployed. Region, age, gender and skill level
were allowed to fall out naturally
38
Source: All respondents (Employed 79; Full time students 111; Unemployed 111) Q2: Which of the following people do you
discuss your employment situation or careers options with? O = Significantly lower
Sources of information and advice 9.3.
In order to begin to understand the perspective of young people, and before establishing solutions
to any barriers, it is important to explore key sources of information and guidance which will to
some extent play a part in shaping a young person’s career choice. As mentioned, previous research
has found that young people’s perceptions and job preferences are shaped by others as much as the
self, Millward et al (2006) , for example parents play a strong role in shaping young people’s choices.
As shown in Figure 11, across young people in employment, education and the unemployed, family
members dominate 16-24 year olds discussion of careers. Significantly fewer unemployed young
people mention family members, or friends for that matter, but this is owed to them on average
mentioning fewer sources of discussion; suggesting they discuss their employment situation less so
than other young people. The same is true of students studying towards GCSEs, who may be just
beginning to discuss their careers. None the less, the presence, and therefore influence, of family
and friends in young people’s discussion of careers should not be ignored by Asset Skills or any
organisation seeking to communicate opportunities.
Figure 11 Discussion of employment situation and careers
When asked about sources of information used in the past twelve months when looking at careers
options, young people in our sample reference on average more than three sources; evidencing that
not one single source is used to inform career searches. Those already in employment reference
more sources, suggesting that they may have ‘broadened’ their horizons before reaching full time
employment.
91
85
23
35
93
90
57
15
81
61
9
40
Family members
Friends
Careers advisor (In education)
Careers advisor (Jobcentre/employment agency)
Employed
Full-time students
Unemployed
%
39
None the less, when advertising vacancies or marketing the Asset Skills sectors, it should not be
assumed that one channel will raise top of mind awareness of the sectors. This is reinforced by the
variation between those in education and the employed or unemployed young people in their use of
sources, as shown in Figure 12 below.
General internet searches are used by approximately two thirds of young people. As such, if future
work seeks to increase top of mind consideration, efforts may be required to increase the presence
of the Asset Skills sector profiles on internet searches or on commonly used job related websites.
That being said, the Job Centre is also a key source of information for just under two thirds of young
people; however this is significantly lower for students in full time education meaning that Job
Centre activity risks missing this group.
Figure 12 Sources of information used in careers searches in the past 12 months
Attitudes to careers and job searches 9.4.
Where young people have specific ideas about the direction of their career, whether driven by the
subjects they are studying or wider attitude, the challenge to attracting them to alternative sectors
is likely to be increased. This section explores what is important to young people when applying for
jobs, and their attitudes to careers.
For the purpose of this research we screened out a number of students who will only consider roles
directly related to their course or subject they are studying. When reviewing the results, this should
be kept in mind, however, of all the young people who began but did not complete the survey due
to the various screening questions (839 young people), this only accounted for 10% .
68 70
49
38 44
39 30
18
62
44
32
65
22 22
33
14
60
73
52
14
30 31
17 22
Generalinternetsearches
Job centre Localnewspapers
Careersservice (ineducation)
Spoken toemployers
directly
Employmentagencies
Careers fairs Nationalnewspapers
Employed Full-time students Unemployed
%
Source: All respondents (Employed 79; Full time students 111; Unemployed 111) Q1 Which of the following sources
of information have you used in the past 12 months when looking for work/into careers options?
40
Although we did not interview those who were certain on their chosen sector, two thirds of young
people in this sample feel they have a good idea of the sector they would like to work in. However,
perhaps retrospectively, considerably less young people in employment share this sentiment when
compared with their student or unemployed peers (see Figure 13 below). Whilst this would require
exploration, this suggests that for around 1 in 10, there may have been a compromise made in order
to achieve employment.
Figure 13 Agreement with the statement that: 'I had/have a good idea of the sector I would like to work in'
However, when asked how they approach or have approached actual job searches, 53% of young
people say they consider a wide range of roles and industry sectors. Positively, this implied that
young people don’t widely hold a fixed view, and would be open to opportunities in a range of
sectors. This in turn provides an opportunity for Asset Skills to appeal to this flexibility.
For 25% of those in education, the sector becomes less important but specific roles remain of high
importance. Although asked about their search before they found employment, there is some
impact of already having found employment. For a third already in employment (see Figure 14), they
approached their job search with an expectation to search for specific roles within specific sectors,
which is significantly higher than full-time students. However, whilst we asked this group about their
approach to their search before they found employment, it is possible they were considering future
searches. The result of this is that now they have found a pathway and gained experience, they
would expect to remain in the same sector in specific roles going forward.
26
15
24
41
50
33
23
20
14
5
12
19
5
2
10
Agree strongly Agree Neither agree or disagree Disagree Disagree strongly
Students in
full time
education
Employed
Source: All respondents (Employed 79; Full time students 111; Unemployed 111) Q3a/b I have/had a good idea of the
industry sector or sectors I would like to work in (before I started applying for jobs)
Unemployed
%
41
Figure 14 Attitude to searches for employment
In order to capitalise on the broad searches and consideration of sectors, it will be essential for Asset
Skills sectors to begin appealing to key requirements young people have when searching for jobs. For
those ‘with a good idea of the sector they would like to work in’, a general interest in the sector
stimulates this attraction for almost three quarters of young people (see Figure 15). Creating a
general interest itself is challenging, therefore Asset Skills sectors will need to appeal to more
concrete factors in order to have salience and inspire positivity. For example, other attractive factors
are ‘It has roles which suit my skills’ and ‘good career progression opportunities’. Providing actual
examples to young people of how roles within the Asset Skills sectors meet these requirements may
stimulate interest and also professionalise the sectors.
Figure 15 Factors which attract young people to specific sectors
73
64
53
24
38
31
24
81
78
52
56
45
33
36
72
66
43
36
35
31
27
General interest in the sector
It has roles that suit my skills
Good career progression possibilities
Links to courses/subjects studied
Availability of jobs in good location
Part-time work/work experience inthe industry
Competitive starting salary
Employed*
Full-time students
Unemployed
30
9
57
14
23
55
23
11
49
I expect to/did look for roleswithin specific industry sectors
only
I expect to/did look for a specificrole, but the sector is less
important
I expect to/ did consider a widerange of roles and industry sectors
Employed Full-time students Unemployed
%
All respondents (Employed 79; Full time students 111; Unemployed 111) Q4/Q7/Q9 Which of the following would describe your
current/previous approach when looking for employment? O = Significantly lower
Source: All respondents with a good idea of sectors (Employed 45; Full time students 73; Unemployed 74) Q4/Q7/Q9
Which of the following would describe your current/previous approach when looking for employment? *Low base
size
%
42
This indicates that to evoke interest, any examples should relate to job roles rather than sectors and
is reinforced by the most important factors when considering jobs. As shown in Figure 16 below,
almost 90% say ‘The job being interesting or challenging’ is an important factor when considering job
applications and similarly to the above, for 85% of young people ‘opportunities for progression’ are
also important. That being said, for each of the factors presented to respondents, the majority
deemed them more important (and significantly more so) for students. Critically, whilst these factors
should not be disregarded, we must account for the instinct when presented with a list of factors, to
claim all are important.
We also see in Figure 16 that knowledge of sectors is important to 80% of young people, which is
both a challenge and an opportunity for Asset Skills. Previous research and our hypotheses prior to
this research were that there may be low awareness of the opportunities within the Asset Skills
sectors; if this is true, then Asset Skills should build knowledge of, and familiarity with, all of its
sectors. Doing so may begin to rouse interest.
The factor that is least important is the image of the industry, which has previously been thought to
be a key barrier to attracting young people to the Asset Skills sectors. Whilst two thirds of
respondents did say this is important, demonstrating that Asset Skills sectors have the ‘right’ job role
will hold the greatest weight.
Figure 16 Importance of factors in searches for jobs
86 87 80
76 70
95 92 85 82
68
81 74 77
70
56
The job beinginteresting &challenging
Opportunities forprogression
Knowledge of thesector
Starting salary The image of theindustry or sector
generally
Employed Full -time students Unemployed
Source: All respondents (Employed 79; Full time students 111; Unemployed 111) Q4 When considering whether or not to apply for a
job, how important are the following factors?
%
43
Challenges of job searches 9.5.
Within this research, 48% of the unemployed group have been unemployed for over a year and
whilst this is not a representative sample, significantly fewer of this group hold qualifications beyond
Level 3. On average, the unemployed 16-24 year olds have made 32.8 applications for employment
in the past three months and remain unemployed. In addition, this research suggests that those
unemployed for less than a year remain more active, having made on average significantly more
applications at 35.5 compared with the average of 26.0 made by those unemployed for over a year;
substantiated by the fact that over a quarter haven’t made any applications at all, two thirds have
been unemployed for over a year. Nonetheless, whilst perhaps not surprising in the current climate,
these figures do not at all suggest ease is being experienced.
23%
17%
7% 9%
9%
34%
0
1 to 5
6 to 10
11 to 15
16 to 20
More than 20
Since 2007, the unemployment figures amongst 16-24 year olds has continued to rise, with diminishing
job numbers and increasingly tight employer budgets. Within this research, we sought to add to existing
research by quantifying the levels of ease, or difficulty, experienced by young people in their search for
employment.
In summary, the situation from a young person’s perspective is clear; finding an appropriate job or career
pathway, at the right level is no easy task in 2012.
Figure 17 Number of job applications made by the unemployed 16-24 year olds in past three months
Source: All unemployed (111) Q5 How many job applications have you made in the past 3 months?
44
Figure 18 Level of ease expected/experienced in the search for full time employment
The impact that the current climate is having on the search for employment is reinforced by the level
of ease experienced by employed 16-24 year olds, and that expected by those yet to leave
education. 87% of students believe they will not find their employment search easy (see Figure 18
above). Positively, this research indicates that the level of difficulty expected is actually less in
reality; whilst still two thirds of those in employment say their search was not easy, this is
significantly lower than is expected by those yet to fully begin their search.
35
24
29
63
27
12
8
1
Employed(experienced)
Full-time students(expected)
Not at all easy Not very easy Fairly easy Very easy
Figure 19 Barriers expected and experienced in search for full time employment
17
19
60
71
75
81
16
17
38
92
79
84
10
12
43
51
56
65
Roles advertised do not meet salaryexpectations
Lack of information about differentroles/industries
Lack of response to applications
High levels of competition for jobs
Lack of appropriate jobs on the market
Employers looking for people with moreexperience
Unemployed
Full-time students
Employed*
%
%
Source: All employed and full time students (Employed 79; Full time students 111) Q8a/Q10a How easy do you
expect it will be/did you find it to find employment once you leave/when you left full time education? O =
Significantly higher
Source: All unemployed respondents & respondents that did not find/expect to find the search for employment
easy (Employed 52; Full time students 89; Unemployed 111) QB/Q8b/Q10b Which of the following barriers do
you expect to experience in your search for employment? * LOW BASE SIZE
45
Evidence of the ‘experience trap’ discussed in the literature review is apparent in the barriers
perceived and experienced by young people in their search for employment. As shown in Figure 19,
employers seeking people with more experience creates a barrier to young people finding full time
employment, which is closely followed by a lack of appropriate jobs in the market. These two
barriers may be interlinked, with young people unable to enter appropriate entry level jobs due to
the ‘experience trap’ and they may also be unable to identify appropriate jobs to their skill level.
Both of these barriers, although high across the board, are significantly higher for 16-24 year olds
who either hold or are studying toward undergraduate qualifications. Whilst still prominent for
people with A-levels or GCSEs, this suggests that from a young person’s perspective there is a gap for
appropriate jobs in the market.
There are again marked differences between the barriers perceived by students, to those
experienced by the employed and the unemployed. Firstly, the unemployed in this sample mention
significantly fewer barriers than their peers; despite the fact they were, in theory, experiencing these
barriers at the time of response - this is even lower for those unemployed for over a year, who are
are also less active in their current searches. We can only hypothesise the reasoning behind this, but
this does infer that it is not that these barriers don’t exist, but young people who have slowed in
their search simply encounter them less.
There are also marked differences between students and the employed; high levels of competition
for example, whilst a key barrier for all, is perceived to be a greater problem by more students than
has been experienced by those already employed. Though, significantly more mention a lack of a
response to their applications as hindering their job search, which arguably could be driven by
competition for jobs.
Regardless of differences between the perceptions and reality, between those who are yet to find
employment and those that have already found employment, it is clear from the above that finding
full-time employment is not an easy experience. It is also clear that young people do not perceive
there to be vast amounts of appropriate roles and, with the struggle to find employment, require
better support. As such, work is required to highlight the relevance of available jobs in the market
and to provide relevant support to young people seeking employment.
46
10. Perception of the Asset Skills sectors
Overview of perception 10.1.
Both positive perception and knowledge of the Asset Skills sectors amongst 16-24 year olds is low.
The majority of young people do not expect roles in the sectors to be rewarding, as such
consideration of the sectors even in the short-term sits at less than half of 16-24 year olds. However,
this research indicates that muted perceptions of the sectors, are in part, due to low awareness of
the sectors themselves and opportunities within. Once shown broad information around
opportunities, salaries and progression, some young people do say they are more interested in the
sectors. This change is most marked for facilities management and housing, indicating a good
opportunity for Asset Skills to raise the sector profiles. As such, as Figure 20 shows, whilst not a
simple task, there are two key steps which could increase consideration of the Asset Skills sectors
amongst 16-24 year olds:
Figure 20 Overview of requirement to challenge perceptions of the sectors
This chapter provides detail on perceptions of the Asset Skills sectors, but also evidence that
providing relevant education on the opportunities available can improve perception of the sectors.
Raise sector awareness
Demonstrate relevant
opportunities
Potential to increase
consideration of the Asset Skills sectors
47
33
19
28 22
47
18
35 31 32
37
27
48
40 46
38
23
47
36 39 40
Good knowledge ofthe range of jobs
available
Job in this sectorwould be rewarding
Roles suitable forpeople like me
A job in this industrycould appeal to me
Consider in the shortterm but not the long
term
Cleaning Facilities management Property Housing
Current perception of the sectors 10.2.
As Figure 21 shows, across the board around 75% of young people would not agree that they have a
good knowledge of the Asset Skills sectors - although this is lower for cleaning, where 33% feel they
have a good knowledge of the range of jobs available.
Despite more young people agreeing they have a good knowledge of the sectors, cleaning receives
the least agreement that it is appealing, rewarding and for ‘people like me’, indicating that cleaning
represents the biggest challenge to raising perceptions. Although, consideration of the cleaning
sector, in the short term , but not the long term is higher than that of other jobs, perhaps because it
is perceived as a suitable ‘stop gap’ job for 16-24 year olds. Facilities management, similarly to
cleaning, receives lower agreement with the other attitudinal statements than housing and
property, and even fewer agree they have knowledge of the range of jobs available within the
sector. In fact, less than 1 in 5 agree they have a good knowledge of the opportunities in facilitIies
management, suggesting there is not only an opportunity, but a requirement to raise the profile of
the sector.
For both housing and property, whilst knowledge remains low, overall perception is higher than for
cleaning or facilities management. Whilst hypothetical, a rational interrogation would be whether
these sectors are already more ‘professionalised’ in young people’s minds than the other Asset Skills
sectors.
For example, whilst there is room for improvement, almost half perceive that roles in these sectors
will be rewarding, and for property, two in five agree there will be roles suitable for ‘people like me’.
Consideration of the sectors in the short term, but not the long term is comparable with facilities
management. Whilst this suggests that over 60% of young people would not consider the sectors,
this is specifically in the short term. The below measurement represents agreement that, ‘I would
consider a role in this sector in the short-term, not the long-term’. Therefore, we cannot assume any
conclusions about consideration of the sectors in the long-term.
Figure 21 Agreement with statements about the Asset Skills Sectors
%
Source: All respondents (Employed 79; Full time students 111; Unemployed 111) Q11a/Q12a/Q13a/Q14a Please indicate how much
you agree with each of these statements about the cleaning / facilities management / property / housing industry
48
Though not unique to one Asset Skills sector there is a clear trend that perceptions of the sectors are
significantly lower amongst undergraduates. Suggesting that Asset Skills has a greater challenge to
appeal to young people who hold higher level qualifications.
Impact of sector information on perception 10.3.
Once perceptions of the sectors had been measured, we provided information on opportunities
available within each as outlined below:
The result of showing this brief information is encouraging; though not impactful on all opinions, this
information did make two in five young people more interested in facilities management and half
more interested in housing (see Figure 23 ).
Response to information on cleaning and property is less positive, though there is still some impact.
For property, we must remember perception was already higher than that of the other sectors,
• Jobs in the cleaning sector vary from cleaning operatives and cleaning supervisors through to cleaning services managers and facilities managers. Potential average earnings from full-time roles vary from £12,000 through to £24,000
Cleaning
• Jobs in facilities management include positions requiring GCSEs through to post-graduate positions. Roles range from facilities assistants and pest controllers through to facilities managers and senior management roles. Duties vary from maintenance to project management. Potential average earnings range from £14,500 through to £60,000 for full time roles.
Facilities management
• Jobs in the property sector include positions requiring GCSEs through to those requiring industry specific and post-graduate qualifications. Duties within these roles vary but include property inspection and customer service through to marketing and reporting. Roles are available at assistant through to managerial level, including energy assessors, property valuers, surveyors and town planners. Potential average earnings range from £23,300 through to £60,200 for full-time roles.
Property
• Jobs in the housing sector include positions requiring GCSEs through to those requiring industry specific or post-graduate qualifications. Roles are available at assistant through to managerial level, including arrears, housing and neighbourhood officers and tenancy enforcement. Potential average earnings range from £16,900 through to £35,400 for full time roles.
Housing
Figure 22 Sector information shown (shown to respondents in rotated order)
49
therefore we may expect lesser impact. Whilst we did rotate the order of the sectors, to avoid an
impact on results, the cleaning opportunities are more limited than in the other sectors and even if
shown in an entirely independent survey to the other sectors, we may not expect to see a significant
increase.
Figure 23 Impact of information about sector opportunites on opinion*
Undeniably, there is potential to increase perception of the sectors. However, there should be some
caution in terms of expected impact. Those who say they are more interested are significantly more
likely to be those that already show some agreement with positive sector statements. Whilst the
information does evoke more interest in some who disagree with positive statements, it is less
notable, therefore, inferring that there is a greater challenge amongst those who show
disagreement, significantly more of whom either hold or are studying toward an undergraduate
qualification.
21 13 19
8
49
34
44
34
24
45 29
51
Cleaning Facilitiesmanagement
Property Housing
Moreinterested
No difference
Lessinterested
%
Source: All respondents (Employed 79; Full time students 111; Unemployed 111) Q11b/Q12b/Q13b/Q14b How does
this additional information make you feel about jobs in this industry sector? * Shown excluding respondents coding
‘don’t know’ – (Cleaning = 6%; Facilities Management = 8%; Property = 8%; Housing = 7%)
There are clearly both challenges and opportunities for Asset Skills with 16-24 year olds:
1. Young people do not find the search for employment easy and whilst many have a ‘good
idea’ of the sectors they would like to work in, two thirds are open to considering a wide
range of sectors
2. There is a knowledge gap amongst 16-24 year olds of the Asset Skills Sectors
3. To increase interest in the sectors, work is required to raise the profile of the sectors
4. Successfully doing so can have a positive impact on opinion
However, the key challenge is to both attract young people to the sectors whilst simultaneously
encouraging employers to take them on.
50
11. Concluding discussion: Tackling the barriers to
the employment of young people
Through the literature review, the research with employers and young people, and an awareness of
our present time, it is clear that the economic climate creates a macro-situational factor that,
although does not act solely, perpetuates other challenges around the employment of young people.
As City & Guilds (2012) reported, in early 2012 the youth unemployment rate was at its highest since
1992, which is attributed to the economic climate. For employers within Asset Skills sectors, whilst
they have always aimed to seek the ‘right person for the job’, this climate places even more pressure
on each individual being the right person, especially within the small businesses that the Asset Skills
sector is typically made up of. However, it is not only youth unemployment that is high at this time,
but unemployment in general; as such inexperienced young people are in direct competition with
more experienced candidates. Employers openly acknowledge this situation, and despite having a
desire to ‘give young people a chance’, must prioritise their business needs. Young people are very
much aware of this challenge, with 77% of young people reporting that they do not expect, or have
not experienced, an easy search to secure full-time employment.
Figure 24 Overview of overarching challenges to employing young people
Before discussing in more detail, it is important to acknowledge the overarching situation within
which the challenges and opportunities sit, as shown in Figure 24, above. Despite expressing positive
attitudes towards employing young people, there are a number of practical barriers to overcome.
There are also issues to address regarding the ambivalence of young people towards the Asset Skills
Situation
Economic climate
High unemployment
Difficulty perceived & experienced by young people in
securing employment
Negative perception
Negatives associated with
employing young people
Young people's perception of the
sectors
Positives to employing young people
Positives associated with employing young people
Opportunity to grow limited positive perception of the
Asset Skills footprint amongst young people
51
sectors, however, this may reflect a lack of awareness and there is an opportunity for Asset Skills
employers to raise their profiles.
Tackling the common challenges 11.1.
Whilst the overall economic climate is not an issue which can be immediately resolved, the majority
of challenges outlined in this report can be addressed with the appropriate solutions. It is important
to seize the opportunity to leverage the positive perception of young people from employers and
effectively tackle the challenges. Similarly, with young people themselves there is an opportunity to
promote the Asset Skills sectors, by using knowledge about their needs and the challenges they face,
and direct positive information about opportunities within the sectors towards them. This is not a
comprehensive discussion of all the challenges to the employment of young people; rather it
focusses on the challenges that are clear from both an employer and a young person’s perspective
on the basis of this research. These are highlighted in Figure 25 below:
The experience trap
The ‘experience trap’ very much exists and was highlighted as the biggest barrier to employing
young people, presenting greatest risk to business needs. It is a risk to employers for a number of
interlinked reasons, which in themselves are challenges to the employment of young people. Firstly,
in agreement with UKCES (2011), employers value experience because it gives a good indication that
an individual can ‘hit the ground running’. A lack of experience means that young people do not
typically come with an endorsement from other employers and therefore increases the risk involved
in any recruitment. Secondly, a lack of experience means that young people require a greater
investment in time and money than experienced recruits. Additionally, this lack of experience means
that young people often do not behave appropriately or with social maturity in the workplace.
Young people are aware of the challenge they face, with over 68% of 16-24 year olds that
responded, reporting employers seeking more experience is the most prominent barrier to them
securing employment. Furthermore, 13% suggest that a lack of appropriate jobs in the market is a
barrier, and 90% of those in full time education perceive there to be high competition for jobs.
Therefore there is a requirement to break the cycle of the experience trap.
The Employment Charter (which was tested with employers) could be a strong solution for
overcoming challenges in the Asset Skills sectors if employers hold a stake in its definition. It must be
The ‘Experience trap’: Employers seek experience & young people are aware
this is a key challenge
Recruitment process & job search: Advertising methods risk missing young
people
Perception of the sectors: Employers mention young people having low interest
in the sectors and in fact, young people tend to be more ambivalent
aboutsectors
Figure 25 Common challenges identified between employers and young people
52
noted that this idea was not tested with young people, which must be a consideration in its launch, if
the Charter is developed taking the findings of the research into consideration:
Training, including workplace scenarios, extended work placements and buddying
Applicant sifting & Endorsement of young people from educational institutions, with which
employers are able to forge links
Financial support particularly for smaller businesses, in order to relieve pressures and
increase the chances of young people securing employment
This Charter is not only able to begin breaking the cyclical experience trap, but as discussed in
Section 8, may also be able to counter the range of negatives that employers are concerned about,
with regards to the employment of young people.
From a young person’s perspective, there is definitely an opportunity to offer employability training,
to ease their search for employment. However, for young people as is discussed below; an
Employment Charter specifically focussing on the Asset Skills sectors may struggle to be appealing
without raising the profile of relevant opportunities in the sectors.
The recruitment process & job searches
Although not widely alluded to within the literature, Hasluck (2012) noted a concern that HR
professionals, across all sectors, have not got the key skills required to recruit young people, both in
advertisement and the specific questions at application and interview. This research suggests
Hasluck’s concerns may be valid, but not unique to HR professionals; within the Asset Skills footprint
employers do not consciously consider tailoring the recruitment process to young people.
Employers do not adapt their advertisement of vacancies to reach young people, rather there is an
assumption that free advertisement via the Job Centre or local press will reach a wide audience. For
some, word of mouth is preferential, despite it providing a limited pool of potential recruits. Whilst
61% of 16-24 year olds do use the Job Centre, this accounts for just 44% of young people in full-time
education therefore there is a danger that advertisement will miss this group. General internet
searches are used by 63% for sources of information when job seeking; therefore jobs that don’t
have a position on online again risk missing 16-24 year olds.
As found in the City & Guilds (2012) report, the Asset Skills sectors do not feature prominently in
young people’s aspirations, therefore it is unlikely they are actively seeking out vacancies and
employers are simply unaware, or ignorant to, young people’s sources of information and vacancies.
Therefore a provision, whether in combination with an Employment Charter, or as a separate
initiative, is required to add synthesis to employer’s advertisement and young people’s sources.
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Perception of the sectors
Young people’s current perceptions of the Asset Skills footprint are poor, and some employers are
conscious that young people are either unaware or hold poor perception of their business and the
Asset Skills sectors as a whole. This further substantiates evidence from Asset Skills (2012), City &
Guilds (2012) and the Labour Force Survey (2010). Whilst the housing and property sectors receive
slightly more positive perceptions, across the four sectors less than half of young people agree that
job roles would be rewarding, appealing, or for ‘people like them.’
An Employment Charter will need to appeal to the needs of employers, but also young people.
Therefore, to comprehensively tackle the challenges stated within this report, marketing the Asset
Skills sectors is a necessity. This research does suggest that providing even basic information, within
the right channels, has the potential to positively influence some young people’s views on the
sectors. However in order to convert young people who strongly disagree with positive statements
about the sectors, the messages will need to be relevant and of interest to them. Unfortunately,
specific recommendations around effective messaging are out of the scope of this quantitative
research with young people, and may require qualitative exploration. Regardless of this, it is clear
that there is an opportunity to raise the profile of the sectors, and that this will be crucial to the
successful implementation of an Employment Charter which brings benefits for both employers and
young people.
In summary
Whilst this research has identified a number of challenges, it has also identified positives and
opportunities to improve the position of young people’s employments across the Asset Skills
footprint. If a solution, (whatever form it takes), is able to tackle these common challenges, there
will be a number of benefits to the employment of young people across the Asset Skills footprint. If
this is done effectively, whilst the economic climate may remain challenging, there is a greater
likelihood that a young person will be ‘the right person for the job’, and may also have greater
awareness of the sectors to encourage application in the first place. However, it is important to note
that there are a number of challenges to overcome; and any solution requires consideration and
collaboration with employers in order to achieve engagement and, ultimately, success.
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