Are we doing enough to develop millennials?

The current employment landscape is a challenging one for young Australians, according to Steve Shepherd, CEO at TwoPointZero.

“Automation, the move towards a contingent workforce and the reduction in entry level jobs is making it extremely difficult for our future workforce to transition from education to a career,” he said.

In fact, more than three quarters (79%) of young Aussies believe their schools or universities have failed to prepare them for the world of work, according to the TwoPointZero’s latest research.
 
Youth unemployment is currently sitting at double the national average (13.1%), and this study suggests more needs to be done to bridge the gap to get young people in stable roles in the workforce.
 
Despite Federal Government introducing training and internship schemes, Shepherd, said that while they might treat some of the symptoms, they fail to address the root cause.
 
“We need to think about what young Australians are lacking to start their careers,” said Shepherd.

“Our research clearly shows the issue isn’t just jobs but the lack of preparation and advice our educational institutions offer. So, not only do we need to create real jobs, we need to revamp our educational institutions to better prepare young Australians for the world of work, whether it be providing interview skills, resume preparation or job search techniques.”
 
The study also found more than two-thirds (70%) of young Aussies found it difficult to secure a job that is in line with the career they had in mind, further fuelling the 20% underemployed, settling instead for casual and part-time positions in place of meaningful full-time roles.
 
In many cases, desperate young Aussies are struggling to find any work at all, with one-in-eight (13%) claiming to have applied for 50 or more roles before they land their first job.
 
“How, in this ever evolving workforce, do you find and pick a career that is right for you? Without proper guidance and help early on, young Aussies can become disillusioned with the labour market or let skills they have learnt go to waste in jobs not relevant to them.”
 
Shepherd is calling on Government, businesses and educational institutions to think bigger than creating internships, if we are to address our youth unemployment problem.

He said Australia needs to better plan for the future, by better preparing for the new world of work. And this starts in our schools and universities.

Shepherd told HRD that in general there is not enough time available being spent with the students to help them find the role they really want.

“Often there is an assumption because they are studying in a particular field that that’s the areas that they want to work in or that they have a clear idea about the kind of careers that operate in that industry,” he said.

“Many of the bigger educational institutions have in excess of 10,000 students in their final year and limited resources to be able to provide the kind of career advice that I think that you need in today’s modern work environment.

“The world of work has changed significantly over the last 10 years and I don’t think that universities have adapted their careers educational format during that time sufficiently.”