ABSTRACT
In the opening chapter Angela Carter outlines the decline in youth employment and introduces some of the many issues affecting young people getting jobs in the 21st century. While there are a range of reasons why young people are finding it difficult to gain access to good work, this is a real problem for young people, their families, society and the economy that is likely to have knock-on effects influencing young people’s lives for many years into the future.
She summarises that much of the research associated with youth unemployment describes a deficit model of young people’s knowledge, skills and abilities while not recognising that employers play a part in constructing the problem by not offering entry-level roles to young people.
In order to balance these perspectives Angela proposes a demand (from organizations) and supply (the young people) model of youth employment underpinned by theories and models used in work psychology. Examples are given where best practice in recruitment and selection fall short from the demand perspective and where prolonged education without work experience is continuing the exclusion of young people from the workplace.
This material sets the scene for the following chapters, which explore different aspects of youth employment and offer depth and understanding to the issues facing young people and suggest interventions and solutions both at local and national levels. The lens of work psychology is used throughout the book to enable understanding of a more balanced approach to workplace inclusion for young people.
