July 15, 2022 Preparing Young Workers for the Future

Founded by the United Nations, World Youth Skills Day encourages companies to provide internships and apprenticeships to young workers.

By Kathy Doherty, HR Director EMEA at Cubic Corporation

World Youth Skills Day, celebrated on July 15, highlights the benefits and importance of preparing young people for entrepreneurship and the working world by providing them with the necessary skills and experience to see on-the-job success.

It can be extremely difficult for teenagers and young adults to land their first job. Even honing in on what they might like to do once they leave full time education can be a challenge. College isn’t for everyone, and alternative routes such as apprenticeships or internships enable young people to access the same careers and qualifications with the added bonus of real life, hands-on experience.

Stepping into the world of work for the first time can be daunting. By welcoming young people into our workplaces, we can start them off on their career journey by giving them a taste of working life, helping to develop their confidence along the way.

Even a short period of unpaid work experience is a boost to their resumé, giving them something to highlight at future interviews. At Cubic, we support young people at all ages and stages from job shadowing in later high school years through internships and entry level roles for college graduates.

This World Youth Skills Day, we need to recognize that investing in young people is the key to driving innovation. Each successive generation experiences life through a completely different lens, colored by technology, current affairs, popular culture and more. By bringing young people into a team, you can expand your diversity of thought, pool of experience and collective perspectives.

I’ve seen first-hand how younger colleagues have generated ideas and approaches which have helped us change up the way that we do things for the better. As a business, the tailored learning that we give our interns means that we have a ready supply of people with the exact skills and experience we need to meet the demands of our business in the future. Investing in young people should be a strategic priority for all businesses.

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