Young workers part Generation Success Roundtable to tackle youth unemployment
THEY are among the youngest workers at some of the country’s biggest companies and are heading to Canberra to talk to the Prime Minister.
THEY are among the youngest workers at some of the country’s biggest companies yet their youth and inexperience is their best asset.
Ten young men and women from different industries including transport, banking, catering, retail, construction and media will tell Prime Minister Tony Abbott and the nation’s corporate chiefs how to tackle Australia’s rising youth unemployment.
Keen to offer a hand up to the 115,000 Australians dependent on Youth Allowance welfare payments, the group will deliver their own unique perspective at the Generation Success Youth Employment Roundtable on Wednesday (April 16).
The youngest among them is Kurt Berry, 17, from Penrith who is a transport trainee at Toll Holdings.
“Presenting to the Prime Minister is going to be exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time — but I want to prove myself,” Kurt said.
“My role is to tell the big companies that work experience is really important for us kids to help them and help us get into a job.”
The young guns got together in Sydney last month to nut out their plan and share each other’s experiences.
That collective wisdom will prove invaluable for other young people desperate to break into the workforce.
“I started working with Leightons when I was 15 and I found it hard at first because I was very shy,” said mechanical engineering apprentice Harry Levaa, 18.
“Mentoring was one of the key things that showed me that it was not that hard. Being able to talk to the bosses is important because it shows that they know you are there.”
Chelsea Briggs, 27, an executive assistant at Spotless Group in Melbourne said school didn’t prepare her for the skills required to start job-hunting such as what to include in a resume.
“That might be a valuable lesson for big business — to come out and talk to students about what they are looking for in young people.”
Woolworths Coburg assistant store manager Christopher Saunders, 25, said for young people the first job was often the hardest.
“It is hard to get a job when you have got no experience,” he said.
“Programs like work experience or volunteering are a good way to get people that experience.”
While much attention has been given to employing older workers, youth unemployment has been pushed to the margins.
All the while the number of Youth Allowance claimants has jumped 30 per cent in two years.
There are 3.1 million Australians aged between 15 and 24, according to the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with 500,000 of them not in full or part-time work or study.
Woolworths Limited CEO Grant O’Brien — who will join other chief executives at the roundtable event — said corporate Australia and the government must give young people a voice.
“I think young people today have an incredibly high level of social skills and awareness of the world around them,” he said.
“Today’s youth have bigger experiences than previous generations and that perspective carries a lot of weight, particularly when it comes to a discussion about what the future holds for them.”
Youth unemployment expert and Youth Action policy and advocacy director Eamon Waterford said ignoring youth unemployment will cripple our future.
“A good start in a career is essential if you want people to be long-term employed and productive members of the community,” he said.
“Young people are still developing their place in the world and hardship early on in their career significantly impacts on them in a way that doesn’t affect older workers as much. Older workers have a reference point that young people don’t.
“We are talking about terrible economic impacts for the whole community over the next 50 years if we don’t fix youth unemployment now.”
WHAT IS GENERATION SUCCESS?
NEWS Corp Australia and Woolworths Limited have joined forces to launch Generation
Success, an initiative to focus on youth employment.
Generation Success brings some of the country’s biggest employers together to tackle the issue.
Woolworths, Leighton Holdings, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Toll Group, Spotless, and Telstra employ more than 430,000 Australians.
As part of the initiative, industry, government and youth sector leaders will meet on Wednesday for a youth employment roundtable discussion. Meet the young people who will see Mr Abbott.
Chelsea Briggs, 27
Executive officer to the CEO
Spotless Group Limited
“It is hard to get a job when you have got no experience. Programs like work experience, volunteering or job placements are a good way to get people that experience. That might be a valuable lesson for big business to come out and talk to students and talk about what they are looking for in young people. When I was at school I didn’t know what I needed to include in a resume, for example, so small lesson like that would be valuable.”
Deanna Arena, 25
Retail banking services graduate
CBA
“I got into the graduate program after working in the in the call centre. After being on the phones for a while a manager recognised my skills and I became an assistant manager.
Young people need to ask around and use their friends, family and other networks to find out what is out there. What is the worst that can happen — they say ‘no’?
“You need to find out what you would enjoy and drive your own development.”
Heather Reed, 25
Marketing manager Australia and New Zealand
Telstra Global
“My job has taught me is to keep a broad background in terms of education and career steps, grasp the opportunities that come your way and not to put too much pressure on yourself. Once you have got your first job you have more confidence to look for other jobs.
“Working in Telstra retail gave me goo corporate communication skills and the confidence that I was going to be able to solves the customer’s problem.”
Ryan Fox, 24
Dragline engineer
Rio Tinto Coal Australia — Mount Thorley Warkworth
“When young people are working they get themselves into a routine, which helps build their independence and lets them grow into the future. I would advise young people to work on their communication skills and not let adversity get them down. You will learn from your mistakes.”
Kurt Berry, 17
Transport trainee
Toll Holdings
“I think young people need to take whatever they can so they can work their way up. By taking a job you can get a feel for what the workforce is like. Even if it was sweeping the floors I was willing to do it to get in.”
Ellen Schaefer, 19
Business service adviser
NAB
“Generation Success is about how we can encourage young employment, strategies to make jobs in certain industries more appealing and have young people maintain a position in a company so it can give them a career and not just a job. In my experience, I wanted to progress after I finished school but I just couldn’t do that in my home town because the only things there are teaching and nursing. I’m glad I made the move.”
Melissa Matheson, 31
mX Sydney editor
News Corp Australia
“I’ve been very fortunate throughout my career at Cumberland Newspapers (now NewsLocal), the Telegraph and as editor of mX, to be surrounded by colleagues who have offered me support and advice every step of the way. As a manager myself now with a team of young journalists to lead, I hope that I can inspire them to make the most of their careers at News Corp and show their talents to the world.”
Dale Adams, 22
Channel programmer
Foxtel
“I think attention to detail and the ability to point out where something is going wrong and needs to be improved is one of the essential skills that employers want these days. Being committed and having a willingness to learn is also important. I would encourage employers to look beyond what is only on the resume when they are considering hiring a young person.”
Christopher Saunders, 25
Assistant store manager (relief)
Woolworths in Coburg, Victoria.
“The first job opportunity I got was when the Woolworths store manager dragged me into the office and said ‘I’ve got an opportunity for you to be an assistant store manager.’ I was surprised because I was 17 at the time. I jumped at that opportunity even though I wasn’t quite ready.
“To have that faith being put into me was a big thing and that belief in me made me go on to do bigger and better things.”
Harry Levaa, 18
Mechanical engineering apprentice
Leightons Contractors
“I started working with Leightons when I was 15 and I found it hard at first because I was very shy. Mentoring was one of the key things that showed me that it was not that hard. Being able to talk to the bosses is important because it shows that they know you are there.”
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