Youth skills

Peabody apprentice Ed talks about the impact of Coronavirus and the opportunities available at our first online Jobs Fair.

Published: 15/07/2020

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The Coronavirus crisis has had an impact on almost every individual, business and organisation on the planet. The lowered productivity during lockdown had significant negative effects on the UK economy and jobs market which will continue to be felt for years to come. Jobs have been cut in virtually every sector, and in a worst case scenario the hospitality industry, which is the UK’s fourth largest industry and provides roughly 3 million jobs in the UK, is said to be at risk of losing up to 80% of its employees.

While around 600,000 jobs have already been lost in the UK it is highly likely that the number will continue to grow for some time, especially as the Government furlough scheme comes to an end. With the service and hospitality sectors badly impacted, this will disproportionately affect young people, and those at the start of their careers and in lower-paid jobs. Those without a wider range of skills and the opportunity to apply for jobs in industries that haven’t been affected as badly will be hurt the most by this.

Now is a good time for people in my age group – I’m 20 - to think about how they can prosper in a situation where opportunities are limited and the jobs market seems to be the most competitive it’s ever been. The need for live vacancies, apprenticeship opportunities and soft skills training for young people has never been greater.

We offer many services through our Youth Development team such as our Young Leaders programme. This gives people aged 11-25 the opportunity to develop real-world skills while gaining qualifications, but more is still needed. Many young people who may already be on career paths will often seek to switch fields and keep multiple options open to them. Soft skills and training programmes will certainly make this easier.

Peabody's online Jobs Fair

In normal times Peabody’s jobs, apprenticeship and skills fairs get between 1,000 and 2,000 people through the doors. It’s not going to be possible this year, but we’re going ahead with a full day of virtual events that are open to everyone.

This is our first ever virtual jobs fair and we’ll be hosting a full day, from 9:30am to 8:30pm, of webinars providing training on a range of skills as well as the opportunity to meet employers with active vacancies. Some of the employers hosting various webinars and recruitment sessions include: Goodman Masson; the MET Police and the Department of Work and Pensions. This will be a fantastic opportunity for those who are out of work, have recently lost their job, or are at risk of becoming unemployed to see which career paths are still open to them and to improve their employability through soft skills training, led by leading employers and career advice experts.