Bestselling author Chloe Combi has interviewed over 20,000 young people around the world to help schools, companies and governments understand how to best prepare for the future generations.
There has never been a more challenging time both for young people trying to get into the world of work and employers trying to access and retain talent and support millions in their early professional journeys.
There are increasing questions about whether higher education and university remain the best system of preparation for the world of work, with growing calls for increasing degree apprenticeships, practical qualifications and school-to-work pipelines.
Dependence on AI has made candidates difficult to assess for their suitability and for candidates to break through the filters.
The decimation of work experience and pre-16 jobs have created generations - through no fault of their own - experientially and psychologically unprepared for the demands of the workplace, which is so different to home, school, college and university.
The nature of modern parenting and schooling is different to even one generation ago. Young people can find the expectations of the workplace quite jarring, as kids and teens are often not encouraged to develop mental and emotional resilience, which means management and HR are often put in the position of caring for and developing young workers, putting huge strains on time and resources.
The cost of living crisis has transformed what a decent starting salary looks like. Young people often struggle to commit to a job and career they don’t feel can give them a decent standard of living. And we haven’t yet resolved the big question of how to get young people excited and committed to the idea of a career in a moment when even a well-paid job won’t get them out of the childhood bedroom.
In a moment where millions of young people hang their dreams on the unrealistic ambition of becoming content creators and social media stars, how do traditional industries compete and persuade young generations that they represent better, long-term prospects in a moment obsessed with short-term gains and easy wealth?
ISE Student Recruitment Conference
My session at ISE’s Student Recruitment Conference will focus on these big challenges, debunking what is driving and motivating both Generation A (2013-2024) and Generation Z (1997-2012), highlighting the major differences between these two young cohorts.
There were lots of mistakes made with Generation Z – overdependency on screens and technology, over-nurturing parenting and schooling that didn’t focus on resilience, inadequate career’s advice, an old-fashioned higher education system that hasn’t delivered on its (expensive) promises, too few alternatives in the skills sector, and the long, damaging tail of Covid and lockdowns.
I will examine how we can avoid repeating the mistakes made with Generation Z and prepare Generation A far better and starting now, from a personal and professional point of view.
Practical strategies will show how we can equip Generation A for the modern workplace:
- Giving them better personal and professional skills and assets
- Transforming the work experience and career’s advice system
- Improving relations and communication between education and industry
- Education on how to be aware of their own skills and professional strengths and how to find jobs, careers, apply for them and interview well.
I will also offer advice and insight on how to prepare and support young workers beyond the access and application stage - laying out unprecedented strategies on what first-class training and support look like, so every one of your new employees not only stays but develops potential to become future leaders and management themselves.
These are tested strategies that have worked across industry from the secret service to the beauty industry.
Every person in the audience will leave feeling informed and inspired with much better insight into who their employees of the future are and how to maximise them, so they get the best possible workforce.
Employment is one of the biggest challenges at the moment and getting it wrong can be costly, time-consuming and cause conflict in the existing workforce. Getting it right means better productivity, high retention rates, workplace satisfaction and employee advocacy.
Every person now – but young people in particular – are your marketers and in-house PR. People who have great experiences in the workplace will say so, but equally those who have bad or stressful experiences will also say so, which can be hugely damaging to company’s reputation.
Ultimately, my session will provide a blueprint for how to become a AAA, 5-star company that every and any talented, ambitious young person will want to work for.
Hear more from Chloe at this year’s Student Recruitment Conference.