The world of work is changing, and the hunt to recruit and retain talent for future prosperity, economic growth, and resilience has never been more important.
Research shows that fostering a diverse workforce has many benefits for employers, including improved business performance and financial outcomes.
With our ever-growing evidence base on what works, we can support employers to successfully recruit and retain young people from marginalised backgrounds – opening up access to an untapped talent pool.
Learn more about Youth Futures Foundation or get in touch with our employer engagement team for more information. You can also sign up to our newsletter at the bottom of this page.
The challenge
One in eight young people in the UK are not in employment, education or training (NEET), and our recent survey of young people found that 48% have experienced prejudice or discrimination when seeking to enter the workplace.
Young people living with a disability, from ethnic minority groups, with experience of a mental health condition, or experience of the care or criminal justice systems face additional barriers to employment and are particularly affected by these challenges.
The opportunity
Recruiting and retaining a talented and diverse workforce is proven to be beneficial, with employers with more diverse teams seeing 36% better financial returns according to BITC’s Race at Work Survey 2021.
Reducing the NEET rate to that of the Netherlands, where only one in 20 young people are not in employment or education, we would not only ensure young people themselves are able to achieve a better future, it could also add £69 billion to the UK economy over the long term.
If employers can provide opportunities to listen to young people, they can ensure that they are given the respect and flexibility they need to bring their best selves to work – that’s going to make a huge difference for young people and their employers.”
Oscar, Chair of the Future Voices Group 2022-24
What the evidence says works
We know employers are often constrained by finite resources. With our extensive evidence base, Youth Futures Foundation is uniquely positioned to support employers to invest in approaches that are proven to work. By supporting employers to engage with the youth labour market and develop inclusive recruitment and retention practices, we empower them to bring hidden talent into their workforce, and in turn, to meet organisational targets.
Launched in 2022 our Youth Employment Toolkit has identified that apprenticeships and on-the-job training could help young people gain and sustain good-quality jobs. Visit the Toolkit.
To build more evidence on what works for employer outcomes, we are running the first-of-their-kind Employer Trials. Find out how you can be part of this movement for change.
We are also looking to work with two Employer Engagement Partners to explore the challenges employers face in providing apprenticesips and design assets to support them. Discover more.
Useful resources
Our free and interactive online toolkit is designed to help employers access and make use of the latest youth employment data and research. Use it alongside our Toolkit Unwrapped series:
Youth Employment Toolkit
Summarising current international evidence on the impact, cost and effectiveness of common interventions used to support marginalised young people find and keep good-quality work.
Toolkit Unwrapped
Developed specifically for employers, the series pairs robust evidence with examples of practice, tailored guidance and practical action plans to cut through complexity and bring evidence to life.
Who we work with
To help put evidence into action, we work in partnership with organisations that are able to influence employer action, utilising existing evidence and testing and trialing new approaches to find and keep untapped talent.
Our Employer Advisory Board convenes a dedicated and diverse group of employers to share best practice and help make equal job prospects a reality for all young people.
Business in the Community: Talent Unlocked
Business in the Community: Talent Unlocked
Over three years (2024-2027), our Talent Unlocked partnership with Business in the Community (BITC) will support employers to further understand the barriers to employment faced by ethnically minoritised young people. With BITC, we will explore solutions through Seeing is Believing Visits and intensive pioneer support, with a specific focus on supporting young people who live in communities with high levels of youth unemployment. This work will be underpinned by a national campaign, with evidence-informed calls to action and convening opportunities for employers to build their capacity to act.
DFN Project Search
DFN Project Search
Bridging the Gap will challenge the misconceptions, lack of knowledge, and understanding across society about what young adults with a learning disability can achieve when supported in the right way. DFN will seek to understand the key barriers to employment (particularly within the private sector), what needs to change, explore what inclusive recruitment looks like and what support is needed to deliver it. DFN will develop our data and insight, sharing findings with our network to improve best practice and influence policy to remove the barriers to employment for these young people.
Workwhile
Workwhile
Workwhile is a not-for-profit initiative, currently incubated and hosted the IPPR (the Institute for Public Policy Research). They exist to support employers to create more good work and to ensure everyone can access it – addressing inequity in access to good work. Apprenticeship creation is at the heart of their work, and since 2020 they have created over 1,750 apprenticeships for disadvantaged and marginalised Londoners. The Infrastructure grant from Youth Futures Foundation is enabling Workwhile to create 1,000 apprenticeships for disadvantaged and marginalised young people in London, including supporting its mission-driven levy transfer brokerage service which ensures that apprenticeship levy funds reach the businesses and individuals where it is most needed. In addition, the funding is supporting a pilot programme of training for apprentices’ line managers – DevelopMentor – and enhancing Workwhile’s knowledge sharing activities across its extensive networks.
Youth Employment UK
Youth Employment UK
This project will establish how Youth Employment UK’s existing Youth Friendly Employment Framework, endorsed by Goldsmiths, University of London, can be built upon. It will also provide a data collection and analysis infrastructure through which evidence can be gathered on employer practice with respect to youth employment.
Applications are open for:
“Developing a more detailed picture of what really works for both employers and employees, through generating high-quality evidence, we can enable informed decision making that creates real change for young people.’
Barry Fletcher, CEO, Youth Futures Foundation
“It is important that employers are fit for the future of our ever-changing workforce. Youth Futures Foundation is a key partner in achieving this goal by helping to turn important evidence into action to unlock the incredible potential of our young people.”
Claire Camara, Global Chief People Officer at EssenceMediacom
Workplace examples
Explore the ways employers are currently approaching youth employment in practice
Amazon
Intern Wayne, Operations Manager Stephen Day, and Workforce Community Engagement Project Manager Olivia Grimsley, discuss the company’s Supported Internship Programme.
HMRC
Intern Harry, programme lead Tracy Etherson and job coach Abbigail Wade share how the government department is supporting young people with special educational needs or autism into work.
N Family Club
Sophie Hayter, Senior Talent Development Partner, details the organisation’s approach to recruiting and retaining talent, including its apprenticeship programme.
Clarion Housing
The Clarion Futures team discuss their support for young people transitioning to independent living, including mentoring for residents with experience of the care system.
National Grid
UK Social Impact Manager, Fergus Hynd, talks about National Grid’s Grid for Good programme, which includes a mentoring offer for marginalised young people.
Key reports
Risk factors for becoming NEET
Discrimination and work
Youth Employment Outlook 2024
Bringing together the latest data and evidence on the youth employment landscape to inform effective action
Annual Review 2023
Reflecting on our activity across 2023
Young Person’s Guarantee
Proposed by the Youth Employment Group, a national coalition of experts, the Young Person’s Guarantee is a commitment that all young people under 25 will receive support to access employment, training, or education within four months of leaving employment or formal education.
Latest
Reflections on Race Equality Week
Annum Mahmood, Employer Partnerships Manager, reflects on Race Equality Week 2025's theme, Every Action Counts. The theme of Race Equality Week this year was Every Action Counts, urging us to move beyond discussions and take real action to achieve lasting racial...
Black History Month: Seeing and Believing in Brent
October is Black History Month in the UK. The theme this year is Reclaiming Narratives. It’s about recognising and showcasing the complex realities of Black history, culture, and stories. It’s also about shining a light on untold success stories. As we approach the...
Acting on youth voice: What employers need to do to prevent discrimination at work
With Youth Employment UK, we discuss how employers can act on youth voice to prevent discrimination in the workplace.
What are ‘good jobs’ for young people?
Dr Hannah King has joined Youth Futures to develop a comprehensive, data-driven understanding of Good Work for young people.
Call for evidence: Promoting employer action on EDI
Please share your evidence on what works to promote employer action and behaviour change in relation to EDI by 31 October 2024.
Mentoring Toolkit Unwrapped launch
Mentoring can be a powerful tool, providing tailored one-to-one support to help young people enhance their employment prospects.
