Report shows young people worried about skills

A new report has found that over half of the young people in the UK have worries about their skills, qualifications and experience, fearing that the lack of them will affect their career prospects.

The results of the latest King’s Trust Youth Index show that 56% of young people feel that way. This annual report aims to assess the confidence and happiness levels of those aged between 16 and 25. It asks questions related to everything from their physical and mental wellbeing to their employment prospects.

What the findings show is that many have real concerns about their opportunities in the job market. In addition to the 56% pessimistic about their qualifications and skills, another 39% told the report that they did not know how to go about finding a job.

Speaking to HR Magazine after the report was published, James Uffindell from the Bright Network careers platform stated that this is where HR can make a difference:

“Employers and HR professionals can play a significant role in supporting young people by clearly communicating the skills they value, such as resilience, strong communication and a passion for the business.”

Sometimes HR departments need an overhaul before they can deliver the kind of communication required to attract young talent. That is where HR transformation services can be useful to businesses.

This is made clear by the confusion between the skills that matter most to employers and those that young people think are most important. The latter group tend to value the importance of experience primarily, when employers rate soft skills more highly.