Almost half of employers say young people lack the basic life skills to cope at work. Young people are starting work without some of the basic skills they need to get on in the workplace. It’s not just that schools have failed to provide them with vital skills – they are falling short on the kinds of rudimental skills everyone needs to get through life. How can this have happened?
The research from Central YMCA identified that schools were falling short, by failing to prioritise the vocational and IT skills that young people need in the workplace.
However, it’s not just the schools: young people are letting themselves down too. The study found that 49% of employers were unimpressed with the life skills demonstrated by younger people.
Their biggest gripe was inappropriate mobile phone or IT usage in the workforce – which a quarter of employers were unhappy with. It seems that younger people are unable to tear themselves away from their phones or social media in order to put in a sensible day’s work.
Meanwhile, 23% said younger employees failed to grasps the basics of punctuality and timekeeping. It’s difficult to imagine how anyone could have got through the formal education system without learning the basic requirement to show up on time.
Some 22% said younger employees failed to show commitment to the job too, while 20% failed to manage their money in a way that avoided impacting their work, and 15% said young people didn’t understand how to listen.
The charity said this demonstrated the difference that a good apprenticeship could make to a young person, arming them with the soft skills they didn’t learn in school and preparing them for the realities of a working life.
The same study showed that over half of all employers believe young people are keen to learn and develop their skills, and more than a third said that they bring enthusiasm and passion into the workforce. Source: money.aol.co.uk
