Research launched to coincide with LifeSkills National Careers Week (3-7 March 2014) to raise awareness of the need for dedicated careers education for young people.

Findings from the LifeSkills Youth Barometer reveal that more than half (54 percent) of 14-25 years olds feel they don’t have the practical skills they need to find a job at entry level. A quarter (24 percent) of young people say they receive no careers education, while one in three (30 percent) felt they were not getting the training they needed to be successful in work. The latest LifeSkills Youth Barometer finds that 14-25 year olds worry that they won’t know how to do basic tasks at work such as calling clients, writing emails or even, what to wear. These fears are shared by potential employers with recent LifeSkills Employability research finding that over half (55 percent) of  SME HR decision makers believed young people at entry level were unable to handle clients, customers and suppliers. 

To boost awareness and ensure young people have all the skills they need for their transition into work, LifeSkills, created with Barclays, is sponsoring National Careers Week. This year, it’s also been coordinated to take place alongside National Apprenticeships Week from 3 – 7 March. The weeks aim to ensure that young people have all the information they need about the routes into work including continuing in full-time education and vocational routes such as apprenticeships and traineeships. During the weeks, there will be a range of sessions and activities taking place across the UK, including opportunities for young people to meet and learn from businesses representing a diverse scope of sectors. Workshops will also be held to teach valuable skills such as CV writing, job applications and interview techniques, along with skills that are in high demand from businesses such as IT skills.

Kirstie Mackey, Head of LifeSkills, commented: “The glaring gap in careers education has become ever more visible. Not only are young people struggling to gain the confidence to carry out tasks, but businesses don’t believe they have the skills for entry level roles. This problem needs to be addressed. We know many young people already have plenty of key skills; they just need support to understand how to put them into practise. We should do more to support teachers and businesses alike by providing the tools to equip young people with the employability skills they’ll need when they leave education. We’re supporting LifeSkills National Careers Week to help bring schools and businesses together and promote the importance of giving young people these skills to ensure they feel confident and ready for work.”

Nick Newman, Director from Careersinfo, said: “The latest LifeSkills Youth Barometer findings highlight the importance of giving young people the skills they’ll need (to) for transition into work. It’s vital that this happens while young people are still in education (school) and that’s why we believe careers education is so important. LifeSkills National Careers Week is committed to inspiring students and helping prepare them for the world of work. Through the sessions and workshops taking place throughout the week we hope schools, academies and colleges will be able to offer careers advice and guidance via the free resources available to them.”

Barclays is committed to supporting young people fulfil their potential by preparing them for the world of work. LifeSkills, created with Barclays, is a curriculum based education programme that supports teachers and young people from the age of 11 via practical, free and interactive resources. LifeSkills also has a work experience matching portal for teachers to find local opportunities for their pupils and help businesses that want to offer work experience or an apprenticeship to a young person. The Barclays Apprenticeship programme provides further opportunities for young people who would otherwise struggle to find work. Advice, information and support to gain funding are all available through the programme. To find out more and register for information go to barclayslifeskills.com.