Like many other parents at the start of the (very) long summer holidays, my thoughts have naturally turned to youth employment and “getting the kids out of the house”.

Instead, I have got myself out of the house, and this week two young people have joined our team to gain work experience as part of their programme with the EY Foundation, an independent charity supporting young people to thrive in the workplace. So far, they have been helping us research some ‘fun facts’ for our careers engagement activities and testing out a new app that aims to support those starting out in agriculture to track their work activities.  

I previously supported some other young people on the programme to develop their CVs, practice for interviews, and work on their presentation skills. The young people were polite, enthusiastic and keen to get started on their career path, but in the main lacked any experience of working with anyone other than teachers or parents.

So it was with particular interest that I read this report from the Open University and in particular that only “29% of businesses plan to offer work experience”. This is a real shame and a missed opportunity, particularly if those that we are working with are anything to go by!

On a more positive note, 56% of employers in Scotland are more likely to hire and train a greater number of apprentices than in the past – higher than in any other nation.

But an apprenticeship can be a scary prospect. For the young person, a year, or two (depending on the framework) can seem like a very long time. For the employer, often a very small business, this can seem equally daunting and can be like welcoming someone they don’t know into their own family.

This is why work experience is so important, giving both parties a sense of what the role will involve and helping them gain experience of working with a very different generation.

The Pre-Apprenticeship in Agriculture (a six-month programme with an Agricultural Ring as employer) works brilliantly well, supporting school leavers to start a career in farming, and helps farmers to get a sense of the benefits that employing a young person can bring to their business. 
But we need to widen this out and support more young people in gaining this kind of experience whilst they are still at school. If you are interested in helping us to make this happen for Scotland’s rural sector, please get in touch. 

Email us or call 01738 310164.