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By Laura-Jane Rawlings MBE DL FCGI FIEP
Chief Executive Officer at Youth Employment UK
Youth Employment Week is always a moment to celebrate what is possible when young people, employers, educators, training providers and partners come together.
But this year, it must also be a moment to be honest. More than one million young people aged 16 to 24 are not in education, employment or training. The Milburn review and the government’s Youth Guarantee create a real opportunity to think differently about how we support every young person to earn or learn, but that ambition will only work if employers are part of the solution.
At Youth Employment UK, we hear directly from young people through our Youth Voice Census. They tell us they are ambitious, motivated and keen to build good futures. But they also tell us the world of work can feel confusing, closed off and hard to break into.
Many do not know what employers are looking for. They do not always know what opportunities exist locally. Too often, they are told they need experience to get a job, but cannot get a job without experience. Others are dealing with low confidence, mental health challenges, transport barriers, caring responsibilities or financial pressure before they have even reached the starting line.
This is where employers have more power than they sometimes realise.
Young people do not just need programmes. They need doors to open. They need to see what work looks like, understand the routes in, hear the language of the workplace, receive feedback and be given a fair chance.
The good news is that supporting young people does not have to mean launching a huge new scheme. Sometimes it starts with one thing.
One workplace visit. One hour spent speaking to students. One young person offered work experience. One job advert rewritten so it is clearer and more accessible. One interview where potential matters more than polish. One manager taking time to explain the unwritten rules of work.
For a young person, that one thing can be life-changing.
Being youth-friendly does not mean lowering standards. It means being clearer about what is essential, what can be trained and how a young person can show their potential. It means recognising the skills young people may already have through school, college, volunteering, caring responsibilities, part-time work, sport, hobbies or life experience.
It also means supporting young people once they arrive. The first few weeks in work matter. A good induction, a named buddy, regular check-ins and a manager who understands early careers can make the difference between a young person surviving in work and thriving in it.
This is not just good for young people. It is good for employers too.
Across the country, businesses are talking about skills gaps, productivity challenges and future talent pipelines. Young people bring energy, creativity, digital confidence, fresh thinking and a different perspective. But that talent does not arrive fully formed. It has to be seen, supported and developed.
That is why we need to stop talking only about whether young people are work-ready. We also need to ask whether employers are youth-ready.
For small and medium-sized employers, this can feel especially hard. We know smaller businesses can offer brilliant opportunities for young people, but they are busy, stretched and often unsure where to start.
That is why Youth Employment UK has created the Talent Tap Quiz.
It is a simple, practical way for employers to find one thing they can do to support young people into work. Whether an employer has an hour, a day or a week, the quiz helps them identify a starting point that feels realistic and useful.
Because every employer can do something.
Not every business can take on an apprentice tomorrow. Not every employer can redesign its recruitment process this month. But every employer can take one step towards being more visible, more open and more intentional.
The million young people outside education, employment or training should be a wake-up call. But it should not make us feel powerless. It should make us more determined to act.
This Youth Employment Week, I would ask every employer one simple question: what is the one thing you could do?
And if you are not sure where to start, take the Talent Tap Quiz.
Your one thing could be the opportunity a young person has been waiting for.
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