Young people work! Join us to tackle youth unemployment

Earlier this?week I attended the?Movement to Work ?(MtW) annual CEO Summit and Youth Employability Awards. For those who don’t know the organisation, MtW is an employer-led not-for-profit organisation offering young people, particularly those at risk of social exclusion, access to work experience placements linked to real jobs with employers right across the UK.?

The timing was poignant - the UK is facing one of the biggest skills crises of our time. Hearing first hand from young people who have faced barriers to employment made sobering listening and drove home the responsibility that we – as business leaders – need to address the most pressing youth employment issues in our communities.??For Accenture this isn’t a new commitment – in fact, we co-founded Movement to Work in 2013 and have been actively involved ever since. I’m joining their Steering Group at what is – I believe - a pivotal time and I’m looking forward to playing my part in achieving positive outcomes for young people.

?Many of us now enjoy a new way of working - we’re free to choose when we work from home and when we head into our place of work. It’s easy to forget that for many young people, being unemployed or being furloughed has been their norm over the last two years. And while technology has helped many employees to stay connected with their employer during Covid-19, others have sadly experienced a great disconnect. In fact, research shared by MtW reveals that in 2020 82% of Gen Z workers said they feel less connected working remotely, while roughly half report having communication issues at work and trouble getting the resources necessary to thrive.

Lack of access to technology and lack of digital skills have hampered work experience or paid employment opportunities for many. Our own?research into social mobility ?shines a light on our responsibility to ensure that technology doesn’t leave people behind. For Accenture, this means helping individuals and communities prepare for the future, and to date we’ve reached over 4.6 million people (as of 2020) through programmes to equip them?with the skills they need to get a job or build a business.?We?also want to ensure that young people from diverse backgrounds can access multiple routes to kickstart their careers in technology with us.?

We are proud of the 68 people we’ve hired from our MtW programmes into our technology degree apprenticeship programme or as experienced hires.?And this year we’ve been able to broaden the roles on offer to include our new Consulting apprenticeship.?This is hugely important for us. Apprenticeships bring new talent and innovative thinking into our team - talent like?Michelle O’Neil ?- who won the rising star award on Monday - and others, who bring new thinking that our clients can benefit from too. However,?‘Paving the Way’, a report by Sutton Trust , which was launched last week, reveals that?nearly half (46%) of 17- and 18-year-olds say they received a ‘large amount’ of information on university routes during their education, compared to just 10% who say the same for apprenticeships.?Additionally, more than a third (36%) of secondary school pupils in England don’t feel confident in taking their next steps in education and training.

Businesses have a responsibility here to step up. It’s time to?unlock the potential of young people and others who continue to face barriers to employment. Taking action on this will not only help to drive business performance but will also bring about lasting social change. So, if your organisation isn’t involved with Movement to Work, I’d urge you to consider joining our network.?