EMPLOYABILITY
young people working) many providers have
rules around the maximum amount of term-
time work that students are allowed to
under take; one provider specifically
mentioned that timetabling was designed
to make it more difficult for young people to
combine work and study.
A need for collaboration
With the 2017 Careers Strategy focusing so
strongly on the value of students’ encounters
with employers, this would be a short-sighted
position to take going forward; especially at a
time when businesses are warning that many
young people are entering the jobs market
insufficiently prepared for the world of work.
To quote Dame Fiona Kendrick, chairman and
chief executive of Nestlé UK and Ireland, who wrote
a forward for UKCES report: “Not only does this
impact on young peoples’ prospects, but it can
LIFESKILLS TIPS FOR FINDING A PART-TIME JOB
1
KNOW YOUR SKILLS
Identifying your skills is really important when you’re deciding
which career is right for you. Try taking the Barclays LifeSkills
Wheel of Strengths test to find out where your strengths lie.
bit.ly/LifeSkillsWheel
2
DO YOUR RESEARCH
Doing your research is essential as you begin your job search
– but you don’t have to do this on your own. Check out
Barclays LifeSkills’ online Advice Map and interactive tool to help you
find the right advice from the right places. bit.ly/LifeSkillsAdviceMap
3
GET INTERVIEW-READY
Interviewing can be one of the most important (and
nerve-wracking) parts of applying for a new job. Use LifeSkills’
tool to prepare and hone your skills. bit.ly/LifeSkillsVirtualInterview
A collection of interactive tools and tips on everything from CV
writing and interviewing skills, to building enterprise and business
skills is available at barclayslifeskills.com
also affect the quality of the future workforce and the
talent pipeline for many businesses. It is therefore vital
that young people know of the benefits of part-time
work, and that education providers and employers work
together to ensure that they have access to them.”
LifeSkills, created with Barclays, is an enterprise
working to do exactly this, providing schools with access
to careers resources and work-experience placements.
In May 2019, it conducted its own research into the fate
of the student job, to gain insights into the
current situation.
Surveying 1,018 14-21-year-olds in education and not
yet in full-time work (as well as 1,754 adults aged 22+ for
generational comparisons), it similarly concluded that
the traditional part-time job has fallen out of favour.
Overall, the research found that just half (50%) of
young people in education currently have a part-time
job, compared to 68% in previous generations. Young
people with jobs said they were driven by a desire to
achieve some financial independence, to gain experience
to improve their CV and skills, along with the chance to
meet new people.
Those who were not working cited the need to focus
on schoolwork (44%); the fact that they received an
allowance from elsewhere (44%), or that they had no
idea where to start looking for a job, despite wanting a
one (22%). Just under a fifth (17%) cited a shortage of
part-time opportunities in their area, while 16% said they
had applied for work but had been unsuccessful.
So far, so disheartening. However, the research also
uncovered a more positive trend: while the number of
young people in the UK with a traditional Saturday job
appears to be falling, tech-s avvy teenagers
are increasingly turning to online ventures to boost
their income.
FUTURE TALENTED // 21