Steps to help your business
Young people have certainly brought a desire to learn and an energy into the workplace.
Ian Steele
Business Investment & Digital Connectivity Manager
South Gloucestershire Council
Employing young people into apprenticeships has bought real benefit to the Council, as they bring us fresh thinking and challenge to many teams which has helped long term staff undertake new ways of working and take on new approaches. In addition, they have helped bridge the skills gaps across the organisation and help us meet the future business need.
Bernice Williams
Apprenticeship Co-ordinator/Project Officer
South Gloucestershire Council
Why employ younger people?
As an employer, are you aware of the short and longer term benefits of hiring young adults?
Young employees are often in a learning mindset, ready to train and adapt to new environments as well as bringing a new energy and fresh perspective to the workplace.
Benefits that younger employees can bring to the workplace include:
technical skills and understanding of emerging technologies
flexibility and loyalty
new ideas and fresh approaches to your business
good social values.
There are also longer term benefits for your business. Employing young adults:
contributes to a more diverse workforce
offers the opportunity to build and develop your own talent
provides opportunities for other employees to mentor young employees
future-proofs your company in a changing world.
Help for your business
There are schemes that offer funding and workplace support to help with training young adults as they enter your workplace.
Visit our Funding for employers >> and Support for employers >> sections below.
Attracting young talent
Where to advertise your vacancies
How to position your adverts
Become a Youth Friendly Employer
You can use a range of approaches to attract young employees and make sure your job vacancies are seen by potential applicants. More traditional approaches such as local newspapers, recruitment agencies and posting on your own website may yield some success but to target young people it is worth considering less traditional methods.
These include:
Local schools, Colleges and Universities who may have their own job marketing channels
Social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat
Specialised online job boards and employment websites such as:
Prospects www.prospects.ac.uk
The Get Hired Job Board www.jobs.gethired.org.uk
Not going to uni www.notgoingtouni.co.uk
Jobcentre Plus has a range of recruitment services that can help you as an employer
There are many schemes and development programmes you can use to attract young employees. Visit our Funding for employers >> pages to find out about attracting candidates through Apprenticeships and more…
It is likely young people who are proactively looking for jobs will be seeing a high volume of adverts. Help them pick out yours by keeping the job description short in length.
Long lists of requirements such as high-level qualifications or experience for entry level jobs can be instantly off-putting. Instead, being open minded to recruiting those with potential and talent by focusing on the skills needed to fulfil the job is likely to result in more interest.
Young people are a diverse group and it might help to think about who within this group you are trying to target. What career progressions and training opportunities are there? What is your workplace culture? Including information on these aspects of the workplace may help to find the right candidates.
COMING SOON! Download our top tips for writing youth friendly job adverts here.
Youth Employment UK provide information on the Good Youth Employment Charter which has been developed with a range of youth employment experts and young people. It aims to provide a framework to support, inspire and recognise employers who want to provide good quality opportunities for young people.
Businesses that take part in the Good Youth Employment Charter can use the Youth Friendly Employer Badge. This helps young people to instantly recognise they are an employer that cares about them.
Funding for employers
Apprenticeships
Sector-based work academies
Apprenticeships are a great opportunity for both the apprentice and the employer. Hiring an apprentice can be a productive and effective way to grow talent and develop a skilled and motivated workforce.
You can employ apprentices at different levels, from schools leavers and university graduates, to people who want to further their careers or change career direction completely.
GOV.UK has guidance on employing an apprentice including the steps you will need to take and the funding available to help pay for apprenticeship training. You can claim an additional £3,000 as an incentive payment if your apprentice starts with you between 1st April 2021 and 30th September 2021.
Visit the apprenticeship website to learn more https://www.gov.uk/employing-an-apprentice
Sector-based work academies funded by the Government can support you to create a skilled workforce for your business by preparing those receiving unemployment benefits to apply for jobs in a different area of work.
Placements are designed to help meet the immediate and future recruitment needs of you as an employer as well as to recruit a workforce with the right skills to sustain and grow your business.
Find out more on the Youth Employment UK website https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sector-based-work-academies-employer-guide/sector-based-work-academies-employer-guide
Support for employers
Whether you are looking for training for yourself, your workplace or for help supporting younger employees entering your organisation, there are a range of free services available.
West of England Growth Hub
The West of England Combined Authority’s Growth Hub offers dedicated business support to SMEs. It has a range of support services on offer, from tailored 1-1 advice and access to finance, support programmes and expert guidance. They offer up to 12 hours of free, impartial business support.
The Growth Hub can also offer support for workforce development >>, helping businesses to take a strategic approach to the training and development of their employees and promoting a culture of learning.
Find out more www.wearegrowth.co.uk
Cool Ventures
Cool Ventures provides a South Gloucestershire Business Support Service. They provide quality practical advice and training covering strategy & planning, sales, finance, digital marketing, social media, HR and funding.
The South Gloucestershire Business Support Service is a publicly funded program that forms part of Universal Business Support – a West of England Combined Authority initiative, delivered in partnership with South Gloucestershire Council.
Sign up here www.coolventures.co.uk/SouthGlosTraining
Business West
Business West provide networking events, workshops and seminars for non-member businesses in South Gloucestershire.
Find out more www.businesswest.co.uk/events