Traineeships provide opportunity for employers to build a pool of high-quality future recruits for their sector
Employers in England feel they should be doing more to help young people into work.
A new poll conducted amongst 501 employers by ICM Research finds that over two fifths (43%) questioned believe it is their duty to help develop the next generation workforce, whilst 35% of those polled believe it’s their social responsibility to help young people develop the skills they need to get a foot on the career ladder.
Offering work experience to young people through the new Traineeship programme is just one way employers can satisfy their desire to help. Launched last year, Traineeships aim to unlock young people’s potential by providing them with the work experience, work preparation training and maths and English skills needed for an Apprenticeship or other job.
Skills and Enterprise Minster, Matthew Hancock, says:
“It’s encouraging to see that more and more employers recognise the important role they need to play in equipping young people with the skills they need to get an apprenticeship or other job. A highly skilled workforce is crucial for the long-term growth of the economy and ensuring young people are trained for the jobs of the future is a priority.
“Traineeships were developed to help more young people into work by providing them with the skills and experience employers want and need. For businesses keen to do more to help young people into work, offering a Traineeship is a great start.”
Young people themselves are also looking for opportunities to show employers what they can do. A separate ICM poll of young adults finds that 65% of those questioned would like more employers to offer work experience, with an additional 68% of those polled agreeing that it’s hard for young people to get a job without it.
Traineeships unlock the great potential of young people aged 16 to 23 (16 to 24 from August 2014) and prepare them for their future careers by helping them to become ‘work ready’. For employers, Traineeships offer a way to help build a pool of high-quality future recruits in their sector.
Hundreds of employers, including the BBC, BT, National Grid, Everton in the Community, Jaguar Land Rover, Port of Tilbury, Siemens and Virgin Media have already committed to helping young people through the Traineeship programme.
Rogers Restoration Ltd is a family run electrical business based in Somerset. It is leading on the development of a new Building Service & Engineering Traineeship and has also committed to taking on two trainees.
Mike Rogers, Managing Director of the firm says: “Businesses have a responsibility, no matter what their size, to invest in young people. Providing opportunities for them to develop and improve their skills is essential, and that’s why we have committed to offering Traineeships. Not only do we want to help young people in Somerset, but as a business we want to bring in fresh talent and ensure we are contributing to continued skills development in our sector.
“We have already got a good track record of producing award winning apprentices, and we hope to achieve similar successes for our trainees.”