Youth Unemployment and the key role employers have.

The following is taken from an interesting piece of work that examines youth unemployment. Mainly within a UK context, (although other countries' approaches are discussed) some of the topics the piece looks include:

problems of youth transitions; the knowledge driven economy; the role of approaches to human resource management; employability; structural factors; careers advice and guidance; apprenticeships and the role of government. 

However, the following quote demonstrates one of the key conclusions of the report is that employers need to take a much more active role in addressing the question of youth unemployment.


"The role and actions of employers are also critical to successful transitions. This means that the shape and size of the youth labour market matters, as too do job quality and the willingness and capacity of employers to offer high quality opportunities for work experience, training and progression.  If employers simply act as more or less passive consumers of the outputs of the education system, then there will be problems.  Employers’ recruitment and selection methods and criteria also matter.  The labour market creates some of the most powerful Type 2 incentives to learn, so the pattern of job opportunities and how  these are accessed will have considerable consequences for patterns of participation and achievement inside the education and training system."


Source:  Keep, E., (2012), Youth Transitions, the Labour Market and Entry into Employment: Some Reflections and Questions  SKOPE Research Paper No.108, May 2012, SKOPE, Cardiff University

Link to the full report:  http://bit.ly/KKMoz9