What business wouldn’t want to boost its performance by a third?
During Youth Employment Week we’ve been pondering this question.
Having a workforce from a diverse range of backgrounds boosts organisational performance by up to 36%, according to McKinsey.
And one way to increase diversity is to hire young people who’ve faced barriers to employment, such as having been in care, or having low qualifications.
These are the young people we coach on the The Spear Programme – thousands of them – so they’re ready to bring value to businesses. And Spear works – 75% of those who complete the course get into work or education and are still there a year later.
Visit that turned into a job
Company visits and mock interviews are a key part of the programme, and our trainees get a huge amount out of them.
Spear trainee Priya’s visit to the distribution company Bunzl Greenham turned into an exciting opportunity: “I was actually quite excited because it meant that we could see inside a company and get to know the workers.
“I must’ve made an impression…because they…asked me to come in for an interview, and a major part that got me to this stage was the support and the help that I got from Spear. The coaches were really, really encouraging and supportive and because they believed in me, I believed in myself. Because of Spear, I have been working at Bunzl for almost a month.”
Spear trainees add value
Companies regularly feed back to us that their hires are adding value to the business.
Nikki Elteto from the hiring team at the Dorchester Collection hotel group told us about new hires John and Tanique: ”They have settled into their respective teams exceptionally well and have already received positive praise for their attitude and contribution.”
Nando's UK & IRE has recruited over 100 Spear trainees since 2022, in restaurants across the UK. The average retention rate of Spear hires there is 78%.
Nando's says:
"Spear trainees… are some of our best employees that we've hired… they genuinely make such a difference to the teams that they work in."
John Spiers, Chief Executive of wealth manager EQ Investors I B Corp, says:
“Spear graduates have brought a huge amount to our business – 10% of our workforce now are Spear graduates.
“They’re quick learners, they’re keen and they inspire the rest of our staff by their enthusiasm. I’d really encourage any business to consider hiring Spear graduates.”
A big shout out to all our employer partners who have hired Spear trainees so far this year:
- Nando's UK & IRE
- PPHE Hotel Group
- Marston Holdings
- TJX Europe
- Soho House & Co
- Dorchester Collection
- Southern Co-op
- Bunzl Greenham
- Well Grounded Jobs CIC
There are nearly 1 million young people aged 16-24 in the UK who are neither earning nor learning. That’s a lot of value waiting to be unlocked.