The Global Recruiter reported on a study we thought to be fascinating to online recruitment agencies such as ours. The findings help identify what young people are looking for upon entering the world of work, and what their drivers are when it comes to leaving the world of education and taking the first step into full time working life.
The Study
9,000 school students in years 7 – 13 were surveyed in The Trendence School Leaver Study to find out whether they were looking to enter into further education or not, and if they weren’t why this was. The results were fascinating and of infinite use to those puzzling over how best the recruit the much hyped millennial generation.
The Main Results
The main results concerned leaving school to enter into higher education or leaving school to go straight into the world of work. And the principal reason students chose not to go into further education is a financial one – with student loans now astronomically expensive, going to University is something that puts young people in a lot of debt. And wanting to avoid debt, although somewhat of a sad reason, is the key differentiator in those going directly into work and those going into further education.
The students focused on a more long term career goal are more likely to opt for further education, and are less influenced by financials.
Online Recruitment Tips
The government has placed a focus on apprenticeship schemes and these are becoming more popular. When it comes to recruiting young people for such schemes therefore, a focus on the financial benefits may be the best way to effectively recruit the talent you want.
Other Findings
Other fascinating findings from this eye-opening study include the below about those entering directly into the world of work:
• The majority of those entering directly into the world of work are male
• For women entering the world of work directly, the top choices were healthcare and teaching
• For men entering the world of work directly, the top choices were IT, telecoms and engineering
• For men and women equally, the third highest industry of choice to enter into upon leaving school was science
• There has been a a 38% increase in the use of online careers websites for school leavers
• Facebook is the most popular social networking platform for finding career opportunities
• 97% of those going straight into a career were from state schools
• Students most likely to leave the region in order to find work were from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Our team found this study fascinating! It gives true insights into how the millennial generation are thinking when it comes to finding their first job, and the takeaways for the online recruitment industry are:
1. A focus on the financial benefits can help with the recruitment of school leavers into work
2. Male-oriented industries should focus on recruitment of school leavers as such a high percentage of these are male
3. Facebook and online recruitment websites such as ours are key for finding school leaver talent
Castle Hill House