The “water cooler” moment, when co-workers chat about TV or the weather, was a famously bonding part of office life before COVID sent everyone home.
It’s easy for those who’ve experienced that pre-COVID world to forget the lockdown generation, who finished their education remotely, and are facing a jobs market with a whole different set of challenges. Competition for the declining number of entry-level jobs is fierce, and thousands of young people remain affected by the isolation of “learning from home”.
Tomorrow’s #WorldYouthSkillsDay 2025 focuses on “Youth empowerment through AI and digital skills”, and these hard skills are hugely important in equipping young people for work that’s transforming the world.
But for many young people, just offering opportunities to learn such skills isn’t enough. They need core skills – which some call “soft skills” - and tailored support to transform their mindset, so they can become ready for working life.
For some, even having an interview in person is a huge leap.
Small talk is "a new language"
“Soft” skills are fundamental to thriving at work. A recent study, the Pissarides Review, emphasised the “increasing need to combine social and technical skills” in the fast-changing workplace. But some social workplace skills, at least, seem to have taken a knock.
A survey published in January found that 40% of Generation Z workers (those aged 13-28) said they felt more comfortable chatting online than in person – for Generation X (aged 45-60), it was 24%. Many young people felt small talk was like “learning a new language”.
A recent comment from Yussuf, a trainee on the Spear Programme in Hammersmith, London, echoed this: “Before the programme, I couldn’t hold a conversation or speak to a new person because I felt very shy. But with the help of my work coach, I was able to improve my small talk and my networking skills. I’ve been able to have a fruitful conversation with people. I improved my interview skills and now I’m working. I have a lot of purpose and want to take on more responsibility.”
Another Spear trainee, Ruqayyah, said: “For the entirety of 2023, I didn’t leave my house. I was very isolated and alone. Thanks to Spear, I’ve been able to build up [my] resilience.”
The Spear Programme gives young people who are not in employment, education or training six weeks of intensive work-readiness coaching, for free.
2 in 5 have mental health challenges
Around half have fewer than 5 GCSEs
Over two decades, more than 11,000 young people have enrolled. These trainees learn the skills and mindset they need to move into and thrive in work. They also get a year of ongoing support. We do this through 18 centres around the UK, which are operated by a local team of coaches.
We believe:
- Mindset is vital. For the young people we work with, who typically face multiple barriers to employment, availability of training doesn't automatically mean skills will be acquired.
- “Soft” skills are key. Skills like communication and teamwork are core to entering work in every sector but many young people don’t have them.
Spear works. Of those who complete the initial course, 75% get into work or training and are still there a year later.
Designing Better Futures, a report from the Employment Related Services Association published last month, analysed 40 years of programmes aiming to boost youth employment in England, to determine what works.
Among its recommendations are "relationship-based" support from an advisor and empowering local communities to provide tailored support for those furthest from the labour market and facing barriers to work and education.
The Spear Programme has been doing both, for two decades, unleashing the potential of thousands of young people.