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Report Into Young Workers Available Now

Summary

Young workers (defined for the purposes of this research as being under 30 years of age) have a range of routes from education into employment. These range from Higher Education into the high-skill knowledge economy, through a range of apprenticeships, to routes from school and college into a range of service jobs – to those who end up in neither education nor employment (NEETs).

Inequality is apparent in education from an early age and it appears that inequality is a cause of low achievement rather than the other way round. Although employers complain of a lack of skills in the young workforce there is evidence of a skills mismatch rather than a skills shortage. Other employer complaints about young workers not integrating into the work culture are likewise said to be a barrier to young people finding employment.

Furthermore, there are limited opportunities for young workers to sign up to high-skill knowledge economy apprenticeships and many more opportunities for them to be directed into service jobs. These jobs still have value and can suit individuals at various times in their lives – but it is important both in terms of equality of opportunity and the development of the UK economy that workers are given the opportunity to develop their skills throughout their lives. Current performance suggests that the ambition of both the workforce and the Government currently exceeds that of employers. There are some suggestions that this maybe systemic.

There is hope to be had in the current roll out of Modern Apprenticeships to existing workers – but it needs to acknowledge that individuals have a right to make an informed choice regarding their personal development. Research suggests that trade union involvement in this is key. Thanks to the Union Learning Fund, unions such as the CWU have built up sizeable networks of Union Learning Centres and Union Learning Reps. It would be perverse not to use these to address the issues raised in this and other research.

Recommendations

• In order to address the issue of young workers being unprepared for the culture of work, Third Sector groups such as Trade Unions, Trade Councils and others should be encouraged to offer support to school leavers new to the labour market. 

• The notion of the Digital Native should be rejected in favour of the Digital Citizen. This reflects the realisation that being born into a digital society is not enough to ensure active participation throughout one's life. ICT skills need to be updated and maintained in order to retain their usefulness. 

• Although the current increase in apprenticeships is welcome, the number of modern apprenticeships offered needs to dramatically increase if it is to reflect the ambition of the young workforce and that of the Government. 

• Modern Apprenticeships should prepare workers for the future and should all offer IT training up to Level 2. 

• Trade Unions should be encouraged to offer apprentice support networks to facilitate peer group support. 

• Young workers learning needs cannot and should not be seen in isolation as it is clear that their skills development will need to be a continuous process over their working lives.  

• Early skills development should provide a platform on which their later skills development should build. As these decisions could affect their working lives they should be meaningfully advised and consulted on the pathway they take. 

• The extension of Modern Apprenticeships to the existing workforce is a welcome move towards lifelong learning in the workplace - but the ambition and scope of these needs to offer workers the opportunity to develop higher level skills if they wish. 

• Workers should be given the right to full and impartial Information, Advice & Guidance to enable them to make an informed choice as to whether publically funded employer training or accreditation is in line with their own aims and ambitions. 

• Union Learning Centres and Union Learning Reps are important and effective resources in the support of lifelong learning. Their involvement in workplace learning should be both supported and encouraged. 

• The Government should legislate to give Trade Unions collective bargaining rights on workplace skills and education. 

• The Government should set up a workplace training levy on employers to support the up-skilling of the UK workforce for the greater benefit of the UK economy.