If you’re looking for a change in career or find yourself
unexpectedly redundant in later life, looking for a job requires stamina and
determination. But for 16 – 24 year olds in trying to get the first foot on the
employment ladder is particularly challenging. There are currently around 2.5
million people unemployed in the UK according to official government figures,
and almost a million of these are 16 – 24 year olds.
A recent poll by the Local Government Association (LGA) found that
many young job seekers felt there was not enough support in helping them find a
job.
The poll, which
surveyed 1,000 unemployed young people found that only 28% of those who had
been out of work for more than six months were optimistic that they would soon
find a job.
Almost 6 in 10 of the 16 to
24-year-olds questioned said there is not enough support to help them find a
job, and many believe that the main barriers to finding work are lack of
available jobs and lack of experience.
There
were mixed views on the services designed
to advise young people on how to find work. Around two in five (65%) said that
Jobcentre Plus had not been helpful because it did not tell them anything new,
while around half (52%) said it did not give them the skills or experience
relevant for a job. In comparison, 42% said that recruitment websites failed to
tell them anything new, along with 30% who said the same about sixth form or
college training.
Around a third (34%) did not think
recruitment websites gave them the skills they need for a job, while almost
half (47%) said this was true of sixth forms and colleges.
There are options –
apprenticeships, work placements and a variety of vocational-based courses can
provide that essential skills and experience which will give you a better
chance in the highly competitive jobs market.
For general advice and information these
websites are a good starting point:
And for help with CVs, interview
skills and other essential job seeking tools, have a look at http://www.wordsworthreading.co.uk/job-seekers-package.php#
There’s also a comprehensive list of job seekers’ web resources.
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