Latest research has uncovered the things young people wish they had known when they were in their first job.
The LifeSkills Youth Barometer* conducted amongst those 19-25 year olds who have already worked revealed that three in 10 (30%) wish they could have told their younger selves to be more self-confident in their first job, with one in 10 (10%) saying they wish they had known how to perform better at interview. The next most popular response was wishing they had known more about how businesses operate (7%).
Tellingly, self-confidence (45%) and interview skills (36%) were identified as the two areas that most young people felt would prevent them from securing the job of their dreams.
When it came to being prepared for the world of work, nearly nine out of 10 (86%) young people believed work experience should be compulsory at school. Communication (63%), team-working (61%) and the ability to adapt (55%) were cited as the key skills gained by those who have undertaken a placement.
Ashok Vaswani, Chief Executive, Barclays Retail and Business Banking said: “We all have things we wish we’d known when we were younger. What’s interesting is how the things that the next generation wish they’d known when it comes to being successful at work are the ‘soft skills’ of self-confidence and interview technique.
“These aren’t young people held back by a lack of opportunity; instead they see themselves limited by a lack of experience which would give them the skills to get ahead. It’s why we, businesses, schools and government must work together to give the support and access to work experience that young people need. By opening up the world of work to the next generation, we’ll transform their outlook and achievement in the future.”
To help, LifeSkills, created with Barclays, was launched in March of this year. It is an education programme that aims by 2015 to equip one million young people aged 11-19 with the skills they need for work and connect them to work experience opportunities at Barclays and beyond. The resources will be delivered in school by teachers, in branch at sessions organised by Barclays employees or accessed directly by young people at www.barclayslifeskills.com.
Once a student completes the LifeSkills modules, schools will be able to unlock a new work experience matching portal. This will allow teachers to match pupils to local work experience opportunities in their area from Barclays and like-minded businesses. Business can also upload their placements via the new free matching service.
To inspire people to get involved, businesswoman Karren Brady, TV and radio presenter Jameela Jamil, sports personality Colin Jackson and founder of Nails Inc. Thea Green have been recruited to motivate business, schools, government and young people to help young people overcome the barriers in moving from school to work.
To find out more and register for information go to www.barclayslifeskills.com
*Research undertaken 6 – 20 May 2013 amongst total panel of 1,898 14-25 year olds. Research conducted by Watermelon Research. Of the sample, 379 19-24 year olds have already worked.
