Unlocking Potential in Early Careers

One million young people are currently not in education, employment or training, with this figure projected to rise to 1.25 million by 2030. 

At the end of May, Alan Milburn released the first part of his government report, laying out an in-depth understanding of the NEET crisis as a complex, systemic challenge that will require us all to reflect on our role in enabling young people to succeed. His recommendations will follow at a later date, but the concerning projections shared at this stage are already sparking conversations across the City about what comes next.  

On 9 June, at Janus Henderson Investors offices, we brought together employers from across the City to reflect on the theme of Unlocking Potential through Early Careers Programmes.

Our chair for the session, Nicole Williams, Counsel and Head of Impact Investment Products at Ashurst LLP, reflected on the direction of the crisis and shared her own journey into law and the key insights that helped her to understand the factors that help you get through the door.  

Owen James, Senior Associate Director of Sales Training at Janus Henderson Investors, welcomed participants and shared more on the organisation’s approach to inclusive early careers pathways. This includes a clear commitment to looking beyond qualifications to understand potential in context. 

Our speakers George Tsounias, Early Careers Manager at ACCA, and Amaka Achike, Work Insights Programme Manager at Aon,shared how they are creating and promoting early career pathways that open doors into the City.

George spoke about widening access into accountancy by ensuring young people understandthe wide range of pathways into careers. Amaka provided a practical overviewof building Aon’s work experience programme and the learnings along the way.

Across the speeches, a number of clear themes emerged, including the importance of visibility: “you can’t be what you can’t see”. Relatable role models are critical, and effective programmes must becarefully designed with young people in mind.  

Together, we tackled the question:  

Given the scale of young people currently outside of education, employment or training, what changes can employers make to early career pathways to widen access to opportunity?  

One of the strongest themes in the roundtable discussions was the importance of collaboration. No organisation can solve this challenge alone.

Employers spoke of the challenges in building connections with education providers, particularly those most stretched for resources. One solution shared was the role of third-party organisations in bridging these gaps, connecting employers more effectively with state schools and underserved communities. 

The conversations also explored the evolving nature of skills in the context of AI. While there is clearly some uncertainty around what the true skills of the future are, there was strong consensus on the need to prioritise and nurture key human skills such as critical thinking and creativity. These skills are essential to supporting young people to thrive in their early careers in the changing labour market.  

Participants also highlighted the importance of developing evidence-based programmes to secure critical senior leader buy-in. Alongside this, there was an emphasis on the need for great transparency in early careers pathways.

Providing young people with clear guidance on routes into industries, as well as the unspoken workplace expectations they mayencounter, was seen as essential to enabling their success. 

Early careers programmes are a significant enabler for young people to develop and succeed in their careers. As highlighted throughout the discussions, they not only support organisations to build diverse talent pipelines but also play a key role in opening doors for young people across the City. 

The message was clear that by strengthening collaboration and offering more skills-building opportunities and practical experience, employers can play an important rolein addressing the rising number of young people not in education, employment or training. 

Get in touch with us if you want to work with us at info@thelordmayorsappeal.org