Employing Young Workers

Young people can leave school/college on the last Friday in June of the school/college year in which they turn 16. Under the age of 18, they are referred to as young workers.

Click on the heading to be taken to the section:

• Employing an apprentice
• The benefits of offering work experience placements
• One million opportunities to 'Have a Go'
• The Big Experience ...?
• Skills for Growth
• How you can back young Britain.
• Employment from a young person's point of view
• Laws protecting the employment rights of young people
• How talentmap can help you
• Tips for successful recruitment including avoiding discrimination
• Changes to the National Minimum Wage - October 2010 and October 2011
• Qualifications explained
• The right to time off for training
• Equality and Diversity
• Employee engagement report
• Asylum and Immigration rules
• Rehabilitation of offenders
• The CBI Education and Skills Survey
• Advice in the economic downturn
• Work life balance

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This is an information sheet which gives you the key points about employing an apprentice and explains how you can find out more and get support.

Apprenticeships are a way of addressing skill gaps which can make your organisation more efficient and effective. They are designed to help young people to reach their full potential. If you think you want to employ an apprentice please go to the Apprenticeships website where it explains why having an apprentice could be right for you or ring the Apprenticeships Helpline 0800 0150 600.  You may find it useful to look at this section - Apprenticeships - Opening doors to a better future.

The Apprenticeships Vacancy Service allows you, as an employer, to advertise vacancies and it allows candidates to find suitable apprenticeships.

Key Points:

• Apprentices make a valuable contribution to businesses
• Apprenticeships can help you to solve business issues eg: recruitment difficulties; skills gaps; staff retention; staff morale; succession planning
• Apprenticeships are a means of accessing talent; they are high calibre individuals committed to their chosen career
• Developing an apprentice (or Apprenticeship programme) will provide you with a highly motivated workforce with qualifications that reflect the latest industry standards
• Apprenticeships enable young people to continue their learning in employment, and make a wider contribution to the economy and society - by 2020, one in five young people will undertake an Apprenticeship, recognising the excellent opportunities for career progression that this route offers them.

The Apprenticeship Ambassadors are a group of senior business leaders who believe in Apprenticeships because they have seen the benefits that they bring to their businesses, including increased productivity, greater staff retention, increased profitability and more highly motivated workforces. These are just a few of the benefits that make a compelling business case for Apprenticeships and there is more specific evidence available as well as answers to most of the questions that you may want to ask on the website.

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Employers and education working together can make a real difference to young people, and there are real benefits to employers from being involved. It's never been easier to get started.

The Employers' Guide has been designed to help you, what ever the size or type of your business, to work more closely with schools and colleges.

It is a one-stop shop that helps you to:

• Get started or deepen your existing relationships, with links to the key organisations that can help
• Understand the real benefits of partnership to your organisation, to schools and to young people
• Access comprehensive and definitive advice on the most effective ways that you can engage with schools and colleges.

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28 February 2011

Skills Minister John Hayes today gave his backing to a campaign to create a million opportunities for people across the UK to learn new skills in 2011.

WorldSkills London 2011 organisers are encouraging schools, colleges and businesses to organise ‘Have a Go’ events that demonstrate the range of skills training opportunities that are on offer to local people.

As part of the official countdown to the WorldSkills London 2011 Competition, the world’s largest skills competition, Have a Go is an unprecedented initiative that will allow people to gain hands-on experience in skills – from car maintenance to hairdressing to landscape gardening. 

 John Hayes, said: “Practical skills are as important as academic qualifications. Britain’s success will depend on our ability to create a new generation of world class craftsmen, designers and technicians. Have a Go is an excellent opportunity for people from all walks of life to be inspired by the possibilities of vocational education. I hope every local community hosts an event.

The Government’s skills strategy, with more funding for apprenticeships and higher standards for training providers, will help individuals and companies gain the skills they need to succeed.”

Current planned Have a Go events include: the RHS Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows, the British Touring Car Championship events and UKSkills Competition finals.

Organisations interested in organising WorldSkills London 2011 Have a Go activities are encouraged to download a range of free materials to help them to plan, organise and run activities in their local area by visiting the WorldSkills website.

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The National Skills Strategy sets out a pathway to achieving a bold new ambition for three quarters of the population to go to university or get an advanced technical qualification by the age of 30. The government is asking you to support young people through this difficult economic time.

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Although times are tough, we can all play a part. Organisations are being asked to commit to one or more of the following:

• Offer volunteer places or become a volunteer mentor for school or university leavers
• Provide work experience opportunities
• Offer internships to graduates, 18 year olds and non-graduates
• Consider a young person for a job through a work trial
• Supply apprenticeship opportunities for 16-24 year olds
• Bid for one of the 100,000 jobs for young people from the Future Jobs Fund Engage in a Local Employment Partnership

Find out more about all of the things that your organisation can do today

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As an employer, or potential employer, of young people there are a number of areas that you should consider.

Some of these areas will be the same as those which would need to be considered for an employer of adults, other areas may be specific to the employment of young people.

If you go to Directgov you will find advice and information that supports young people, which is helpful to enable you to have an understanding of the issues that some young people might face.

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There are a number of laws protecting the employment rights of young people, including health and safety, what jobs can be undertaken, how many hours can be worked and time off for study and training.

Clear guidance and advice on employing young people which includes guidance on age discrimination can be found on the Business Link website.

For further information on the Health and Safety aspects relating to employing young workers please go to this site, and to this site for further general guidance.

If you are considering employing a child, you should be aware that if you break the law or regulation as laid down in the provision of the Byelaws or Laws governing child employment (Children and Young Persons Act 1933 Sections 18(2) and 20(2)), any incident would normally invalidate your insurance policy. Employers need to make sure that they have carried out all necessary obligations in law, and also are aware of any risks and other necessary safety procedures before they employ a child. For more information please visit the North Yorkshire County Council website.

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Employers are calling for a view of the employment, skills and education systems which can help them to: 

• Ensure that the investment they make in their people impacts directly on the success of their business
• Improve the cost effectiveness of their business
• Do more now, in preparation for the upturn.

That’s where talentmap comes in… the downloadable booklet and the website.

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Several areas to take into consideration when employing a young person:

The successful recruitment process is made more meaningful by:

• Having a clear job description, person specification and clear terms and conditions of service and contract which are jargon free. If you visit the Business Link website you will find information on a written statement of employment particulars and this section of the website, guidance on writing a person specification and a job description. This website gives you some more ideas
• Avoiding discrimination during recruitment - It is important to avoid discrimination during the recruitment process. This not only is a legal requirement, but also gives you the best chance of getting the right person for the job. For information on how to prevent discrimination and value diversity visit the Business Link website
• Ensuring young people understand the roles they are applying for at the interview
• Having a rigorous interview process which enables young people to demonstrate the full range of skills they might need. Setting a salary level which is appropriate to the role, not the age of the young person is good practice. For information on pay rates across sectors click here.

It is helpful if the induction period includes:

• An initial basic assessment of the young person's capabilities including Basic Skills: this is particularly important for a first job
• A clear understanding by Managers about what they expect from young people, making sure that the young person knows what those expectations are
• A comprehensive induction package which is given to the young person
• An assessment of the emotional and personal development of a young person to ensure that they are not put into inappropriate roles
• An acknowledgement by you and your staff of a young person's changed role where the young person was previously a volunteer within your organisation

It is helpful if support structures for young people are identified and understood, this could include mentoring, line management, supervision, peer group support.

It is helpful if the planning of a clear progression route, (what do you need to be able to do, to move on) includes accredited training if possible in order to up skill your workforce.  If you visit Train to Gain you will be able to find out about this Government service which offers independent advice on improving the skills of your employees. The service helps employers - of all sizes and in all sectors - to boost their business by training their staff. Skills brokers help you to find the right training and the right providers, and construct a training package tailored to each business.Please referyoung people employed on time limited contracts to Connexions for additional support for their exit strategy .

Young people will flourish in a positive and supportive environment and your skilled managers will be the key to achieving this.

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From 1 October 2011, the National Minimum Wage rates has increased from:

• £3.64 to £3.68 an hour for workers aged 16 to 17
• £4.92 to £4.98 an hour for workers aged 18 to 20
• £5.93 to £6.08 an hour for workers aged 21 and over.  

The National Minimum Wage for apprentices has been increased from 1 October 2011:

• The wage will apply to all apprentices aged under 19; and apprentices aged 19 or over in the first year of their Apprenticeship
• The Apprentice minimum wage will be £2.60 per hour, a rise of 10p, and applies to time working, plus time spent training that is part of the Apprenticeship
• Employers will be free to pay above the new wage. Many already do so and this change will not affect that but employers must ensure that they are paying their apprentices at least the minimum wage.

Guidance providing greater clarity for businesses who offer work experience, placements and internships has been published today 19 September 2011), as announced in the Social Mobility Strategy in April. The updated guidance from Business Link and DirectGov includes advice on the payment of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for work experience staff and interns, and clarifies when someone is entitled to this payment. The guidance also includes a new worker checklist for employers and examples of case studies, which aims to make sure that those who are entitled to the NMW receive it.

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The Qualifications and Credit Framework: an introduction for employers.

Do you:

• Struggle to understand how the qualifications system works?
• Want to be actively involved in deciding what training and education is needed for your industry’s future?
• Want to get your in-house training recognised as a qualification in a national framework?
• Want to tailor-make qualifications to suit your business needs?
• Want to be able to quickly measure prospective employees’ achievements?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, please read on. This leaflet tells you about the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) and gives you the information you need to understand how it works, and how it can benefit your company, your employees and your industry as a whole.

To help you to understand the full range of qualifications that young people can take and all the different routes available for young people to follow as their careers progress click here and scroll down the page.

To find out more about diplomas which combine theoretical study with practical experience and develop skills highly valued by employers and universities click here.  The Diploma is part of a national programme to provide young people with more options, to encourage them to continue learning for longer.

The publication Support Schools, Colleges, Children and Families Building Stronger Partnerships will give some general information for you as an employer.

You could look at the Qualifications and Pathways section in this website.

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From 6 April 2010, approximately 11 million employees, in Great Britain, employed by oganisations who employ 250 or more employees, have had the right to request 'time to train'. This will NOT be extended to cover employees in all businesses from 6 April 2011.

Employees' requests can be:

• To undertake accredited programmes leading to a qualification
• For unaccredited training to help them develop specific skills relevant to their job, workplace or business.

While employee requests may involve agreeing time away from their duties, the primary focus of the new right is about agreeing relevant training with your staff. 

To find out more visit the Business Link website.

Time to train: example scenarios of handling requests Publication date: *16 Feb 2011 - Hypothetical scenarios to demonstrate how the right to request time to train might work in actual employment situations. Covers a range of different industries and job types, and include different types of training requests and outcomes.

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You will find information on equality and diversity and ensuring all your employees feel valued which is so vital in the modern workplace on the acas website.

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Engaging for Success: enhancing performance through employee engagement - David MacLeod and Nita Clarke were commissioned by the Department for Business (BIS) to take an in-depth look at employee engagement and to report on its potential benefits for organisations and employees. They argue that if employee engagement and the principles that lie behind it were more widely understood, if good practice was more widely shared, if the potential that resides in the country’s workforce was more fully unleashed, we could see a step change in workplace performance and in employee well-being, for the considerable benefit of the UK.

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If you are in a situation where you need to know about employers liabilities under section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 go to this website.

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If, as part of your support for the community, you wish to consider employing a young person who has offended you may find it useful to visit the NACRO website where you will find the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 explained.

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The education and skills survey 2009 provides authoritative information on employers' views of education and skills issues. It is being published at a time when business is facing tough economic conditions, but the benefits of investing in skills remain undiminished. The survey covers the full range of issues, including:

• Employer and employee commitment to training
• Basic skills
• Science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM)
• Business links with school and universities.

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Here you will find advice and guidance for residents and businesses in North Yorkshire to help you get through the recession

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At 4Children, their track record in working with employers means they can offer specialist advice and devise real solutions for all your employees' childcare needs

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This innovative programme aims to offer a four week placement for candidates to gain work place experience in a community setting. The placement provider will be paid £200 for a completed placement.

Any community focused project, enterprise or charity can be a placement provider. The scheme has a particular community focus and we know from previous experience that the community sector has a particular skill in offering quality and diverse placements. You might run a local charity shop, run a community gardening project, operate a social action programme.

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