A careers conference has heard that young people may be struggling in the workplace due to a lack of ‘soft skills’.
The Norfolk and Suffolk Carers Hub conference held on Tuesday, July 15, at the Barham Boone Hotel in Norwich saw a shortage of these skills discussed.
Because of this, vital workforce tasks such as writing emails and speaking on the phone were flagged up by employers as things young people may find challenging.
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This is in addition to difficulty communicating with colleagues, customers or clients due to anxiety or lack of confidence.
At the conference, many of the employers present expressed a desire to address this issue in the pledges they made at the event.
These included offering more meaningful work experience opportunities as well as working with school and community groups to clarify work expectations and better prepare students for the world of work.
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Work experience reforms will also require students to finish high school with a minimum of 50 hours of work experience and work-related activities.
Sarah Woolley, the assistant business development manager and social value at Kier, a construction company, said: “It was such an engaging day – really well set up.
“I loved being part of the community insight session and chatting with people around our table about work experience. There were some brilliant questions and comments- great atmosphere all round.”
Employers were not alone in making pledges – many schools also offered their assistance in tackling this issue.
The conference also discussed the need for employers to support young people with health conditions as they make their way into employment.
Jade Hall, the enterprise coordinator, said: “It is vital that employers and schools work together and discuss these issues so that students will have the skills they will need in the workplace, including soft skills.
“One of the roles of the careers hub is to open up the work experience and other opportunities available to students so they can think about the kind of jobs they might want and leave school work ready.”
