A level Playing Field

Imagine that you are an employer, intervening candidates for a job. There are 4 candidates, going for the 1 position available. The first candidate is an apprentice, with 3 years training and experience in the industry in question. The second candidate is a graduate, with 3 years of study, but no experience in the industry. The third is a non-graduate, who has the voluntary experience needed, but lacks an important certificate qualification for the job. And the fourth candidate is an adult, with many years of experience, and some of the qualifications needed. Which of these people would you be tempted to give the job to?

This is the situation that recruiters are facing now, and hence, why we need to take steps to make sure that all candidates have a level playing field. Adults need opportunities too, but they do have one important advantage: their years of experience, and experience counts for a lot. So young people especially, need the combination of skills, experience and grades, to have a good career. Apprentices are the perfect example of this. But the other young people need to be considered as well, and offered the same kind of experience or grades. Students, for example, need internships, to be able to demonstrate experience in the industry.

Student Internships

All students need working experience as interns if they are to have a chance against their apprentice counterparts. Of course the challenges to this are many. And from the employers’ point of view, they already have apprentices and interns in place. More interns would cost money if paid, and if they were unpaid, could undermine the work of paid full time employees. I concede that from the full timers’ point of view, they do not want to be undercut by interns who could do their jobs for free.

So an agreement needs to be reached, as to who has an internship where and when. Recruiters, University Careers Officers, businesses and employees’ unions, could coordinate their efforts, to agree on how many interns would be allowed.

A rota system, in effect, could be created, using agreed time slots, and locations, so that at any one time, each team of a business has one intern or apprentice assisting them. It should be made clear to these interns that they are there to follow their colleagues’ instructions, and to learn from them; and that they have a finite time to do so. After a few weeks, the next interns could be brought in, and so on.

Employers’ objections to this would be many. The costs, training, and liability would discourage businesses from taking on any more than a few students at a time, to be interns. My response to the employers about this is: there is one major advantage that you will gain, by employing multiple students as interns – albeit within a set time frame, and with clear, agreed limits. That advantage is: individual knowledge transfer.

Each student is unique. He or she brings a unique life experience, and hence a different skillset and a different set of ideas to the table. I’m sure all university staff would agree, that no 2 students – or interns – are alike. And because they are not yet working in the industry they study, these students are able to think outside the box: and will be able to bring new innovations to each business. In return for the mentoring and training given to student interns, I submit that you, the business owners, can recoup your investment, by asking that the students research and solve any long term problems that your businesses face. They are used to having to look into issues in depth, and may come up with the solution you are looking for.

The other challenge of course, is a logistical one. With thousands of students per campus, even with good planning, there may be a finite number of places available for them. With this in mind, care would need to be taken, to restrict the number of students allowed to apply: a set number from each college within their University, at any one time.

Non-Graduates’ Qualifications

At the other end of the scale are the young non-graduates. Contrary to the tabloid press’ negative stereotypes, most of the non-graduates I have known, are 16-24 year olds, who have gone into work and are trying to work their up, to get a decent career.

The challenge they face, is getting key qualifications, to progress to the good positions. For example, an HR position usually requires a CIPD certificate, for an applicant to get the job. It is hard to get jobs in HR without this. But of course, without a CIPD certificate, it is then hard to get into HR roles in the first place, to build up the necessary experience. And the same goes for all other professions.

So the place to start with non-graduates, is with what they know already. A non-graduate in a basic role may not have full managerial skills, but it is likely that he or she may have built up supervisory, or basic managerial experience, from voluntary or extra work, while in the current job. And so the non-graduate’s line manager may recommend him/her for a basic assessment and qualification for managerial skills.

Once the non-graduate has a certificate in this field, this is a major step forward. I can tell you from experience, even a basic level qualification can make a big difference. With a certificate qualification in management already, it will be a lot easier for the non-graduate to prove competency, and to use this to apply for apprenticeship, training courses, or college, in that field. In other words, qualified assessment of a non-graduate’s existing skills, will put him or her in the best possible position, to build a good career.

Conclusion

In an increasingly competitive, and increasingly global, job market, apprenticeships have set a brilliant example for us all to follow. The combination of skills, experience and qualifications, is exactly what candidates – young people especially – need to get a job. But this has raised the bar for employers’ expectations, and so we need to make sure that all young people (and adults) are given the same opportunity. Students need internships; non-graduates need qualifications. Adults need empowerment. By doing this, we can ensure that the next time any of these people apply for a job, they will have both the grades and the experience, to put them in the best position for a good career.