Young people face a postcode lottery when trying to find work experience, with employers in some parts of the country almost twice as likely to offer it as their counterparts in other areas.
According the report “Catch 16-24: Youth Employment Challenge“, from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) one in five employers say that nothing could persuade them to offer work experience, despite the fact that 66% of businesses say experience is critical when recruiting new staff.
It comes as government figures show that around 40% of the UK’s 1.9 million unemployed people are aged under 25, and that in contrast to other age groups, unemployment for the youngest workers is remaining stubbornly high.
The Humber, which faces one of the highest unemployment rates for 16 to 25-year-olds in England, has just 29% of employers offering work experience to build vital work-based skills.
By contrast, Liverpool, Greater Birmingham and Solihull all see a high proportion of employers offering work experience, and significantly lower levels of youth unemployment.
Other work experience blackspots highlighted include Cumbria, Leicester, Sheffield, Wiltshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. Read more
