ABSTRACT
The aim of this book is to keep the debate fresh about the issues young people are facing to find good work in today’s labour market and maintain the need to develop solutions on the national agenda. In this closing chapter Angela Carter summarises the difficulties young people experience when seeking good work roles and explores national and international labour information describing the deficits in human capital experienced by those currently aged under 35 years. Further, she questions why issues of excluding young people from the workplace are so rarely discussed. Chief among these is an understanding of the important role employing organizations have in enabling young people to maintain and develop their skills by offering good quality work experiences. Rarely is a positive business case made to employ those aged less than 24 years and she describes research undertaken with employers identifying important benefits young people bring to the workforce. The chapter builds on the positive interventions described in Chapters 5 to 8, exploring actions that are needed to address youth unemployment. The chapter concludes with a useful overview of psychological concepts aiding interventions to get more young people into good work roles. Finally, she offers some simple advice to employers, and to young people and their families, to successfully navigate the hurdles of the education-to-work transition.
