CIPD urges business to tackle youth unemployment through schools

Business engagement with schools is a crucial aspect to overcoming youth unemployment, but must be channelled in the right way, says CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development in the UK.

As youth unemployment continues to show few signs of falling, the CIPD is urging UK businesses to channel their engagement with schools via established programmes, such as the Inspiring the Future initiative. With 70% of state secondary schools in England now signed up to Inspiring the Future, it provides a free and easy method for businesses and schools to connect.

The research, conducted by the CIPD as part of its Learning to Work programme, revealed that many employers have increased the number of access routes into their organisations for young people, a crucial step towards overcoming youth unemployment.

However, the data also revealed that, despite the increase in the number of access routes, too few employers were receiving applications from young people aged 16-24.

In order to overcome this, and ensure that young people are made aware of the many work opportunities on offer and how to access them, the CIPD has joined forces with Inspiring the Future, a free national initiative set up by the Education and Employers Taskforce to match volunteers from the world of work with local state schools and colleges.

Peter Cheese, chief executive of the CIPD, commented: "Employer contact has a significant impact on young people, and should form part of wider efforts to help overcome youth unemployment. However, it's important to recognise that schools can be bombarded with individual requests from businesses. Inspiring the Future provides a mechanism that allows schools to reach out to employers as and when they need them."

To find out more about Inspiring the Future, click here.

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