Will your course lead to a job? Report reveals tough times for young people

If you want your training course to lead to job, it may pay to think about vacancy levels first, according to a new report out this week.

The IPPR report Remember the young ones highlights the difficulties faced by young people in today’s job market. Individuals looking for work aged 16-24 (excluding full-time students) are more than three and a half times more likely to be unemployed than those aged 25 and over.

The mismatch between the courses young people take and the needs of local employers is one of the key reasons for this trend. The report says 94,000 people received training in hair and beauty for just 18,000 jobs, while only 123,000 people were trained in construction and engineering for 275,000 advertised roles.

So what can you do to boost your chances of employment?

The report found that work experience reduces a young person’s chances of being unemployed – so it’s really worth exploring whatever opportunities you can. Consider training in a high-demand subject – there is a particular shortage of people being trained for skilled technical jobs that do not require a degree, in industries such as car manufacturing and pharmaceuticals, so choosing a course in one of these areas could give you an advantage.
Look to the future – future skills shortage areas are likely to include low-carbon industries, advanced manufacturing, the digital economy and professional services, all of which have high demand for technicians, so training in a growth area is likely to lead to greater opportunities.

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