How to get young people into your business

Providing work experience, internships, or apprenticeships to young people can deliver real, measurable value to your business. 

From accessing fresh talent to building a reputation in your local community, as well as developing management skills, the benefits are significant - and getting started is easier than many imagine.

With government funding covering much of the cost, together with the ability to access free candidate access through schools and training providers, the question isn't whether you can afford these opportunities - it's whether you can afford not to.

How can your business benefit from employing young people?

There are a number of ways hiring young people can benefit your business. 

We’ve included a few of them below:

Helping your business to innovate

Smaller, established businesses can often get trapped in ‘that's how we've always done it’ mode of thinking.

Young people arrive without industry baggage, asking uncomfortable questions that can unlock breakthrough solutions.

Digital natives aged 16-24 intuitively understand emerging technologies and consumer behaviors. 

They naturally spot inefficiencies in processes accepted as standard for years. 

Research shows businesses engaging younger talent through structured programmes report increased innovation and fresh problem-solving approaches.

Harvesting home-grown talent

Traditional recruitment costs can easily exceed £5,000 per hire with agency fees, advertising, and management time. 

Apprenticeship programmes can eliminate much of this expense, while delivering the skills mix your business needs.

Increasingly, young people are helping businesses close their so-called skills gap - the difference between the skills employers need and those possessed by the workforce.

Indeed, the skills gap was clearly identified as an issue issue among smaller businesses by the SME Skills Horizon Barometer report, published by the Government. 

Based on a survey of 1,500 SMEs, it found that nine in ten (90%) of respondents identified this problem as affecting their business. 

Entry-level roles were the most common position where this occurred, with 32% of the respondents identifying it as an issue.

Community reputation building

Offering quality work experience positions your business as a community leader while building networks with schools, colleges, and parents - all potential customers or referral sources.

Parents are particularly influential in local networks. 

When you provide their child valuable career experience, they could become natural brand advocates within social and professional circles.

Remember:

• provide real work, not just observation
• give regular feedback and recognition
• be patient with workplace norms - teach, don't assume.

Give yourself a competitive edge

While larger companies struggle with bureaucracy, smaller businesses can move quickly, offering personalised experiences. 

This agility can attract good quality candidates who prefer meaningful involvement over corporate ‘tourism’.

Businesses who treat work experience as a competitive advantage could access fresh talent, innovative thinking, and cost-effective training while building stronger community connections.

Why offer work experience to young people?

The evidence for work experience programmes delivering business value is strong. 

For example, previous research has shown that 96% of UK employers (PDF, 167kb) with apprentices experienced at least one benefit, and most identified at least eight, including attracting better candidates, improved productivity, and enhanced staff morale. 

Key benefits may include:

• lower recruitment costs: avoiding agency fees
• better cultural fit: staff learn your way of working from day one
• fresh perspectives: younger workers are digital natives, capable of spotting inefficiencies in existing processes that others have learnt to live with
• government funding: up to 95% of training costs for apprenticeships are covered and work experience placement for 16-18 year olds are also subsidised, with work experience placements offered through Jobcentre Plus
• enhanced community reputation: You can position your business as a local leader in developing young talent
• management development: It enables you to build mentoring skills among existing staff
• improved morale: investment in people demonstrates you care about staff welfare and are committed to growing the business.

How to recruit young people into your business

There are three common routes that employers generally use to create structured programmes that harness and train young talent.

Work Experience (lasting 1-2 weeks) 

These are good for testing the waters and seeing if hosting young people works for your business. 

They’re usually aimed at  those aged 14-18, and require fairly basic supervision. 

Students on work experience or work shadowing as part of a further or higher education course don’t need to be paid.

Internships (lasting 3-12 months) 

These are better for project-based work. 

Used for those aged 16-24, National Minimum Wage applies if they are classed as a ‘worker’. 

Interns enable more substantial contributions to your business, while remaining fairly flexible.

Apprenticeships (lasting 8-48 months) 

An apprenticeship is a type of employment where the apprentice splits their time between working for a business and studying towards their qualifications. 

These are considered more suited for long-term talent building. 

Open to those aged over 16, the government covers 95% of training costs for SMEs. 

One key benefit is that it creates employees with exactly the skills the business requires.

How to find young people to hire into your business

The most common places to find young talent are:

• Local schools and colleges: Contact careers advisors directly - they actively seek business partnerships. You can also attend school career fairs (usually free for local businesses), as well as offer industry talks to build relationships.
• Find an apprenticeship: This is a government platform where employers can advertise their vacancies for free and receive applications from candidates who match their criteria. 
• Third-party services: Some companies offer a fully managed and free apprenticeship recruitment service for employers to help them find, screen, and secure talent. 
• Amazing Apprenticeships: This is a portal commissioned by the National Apprenticeship Service to promote apprenticeship opportunities. It provides free services for employers to showcase their vacancies and application processes to inspire individuals to apply. 

You could even begin by using your existing team's networks. 

Employees' children, nieces, nephews, or neighbours may offer useful warm connections.

How do I build a role for young person?

When putting together the job description for a new role it’s important to bear in mind a couple of things:

• make it clear: It may be helpful to outline specific tasks and avoid the list of responsibilities becoming vague or unclear
• include what they'll learn: Detail the tangible skills and experience they’ll acquire in your business
• the unique selling point of your business: What makes your business interesting and worth having on a CV?
• create a fun, friendly team environment: Who will they work with? Is it a meritocracy, informal, and friendly?
• ensuring you have a relatively straightforward application process: How simple is yours? Does it require a full CV or just an email introduction? 

Of course, don’t forget to provide practical details, such as the location, hours of work, transport options, and dress code.

Learn more about writing a job description with our guide.

How do I prepare my business for a new employee?

It’s important to prepare for the arrival of a new employee. 

After all, it’s your reputation that will suffer if you don’t.

Before they arrive you could consider:

• briefing your team on the new starter and their role
• assigning a buddy/mentor (someone recently qualified works well)
• preparing a simple induction checklist (health & safety, facilities, contacts)
• planning the first week's tasks - start simple, build complexity.

What legal essentials do I need to have in place?

You will need to ensure you’ve done the following ahead of your new employee starting:

• checked employer's liability insurance (most cover trainees automatically)
• completed a DBS check if the new employee will be working with vulnerable people
• ensured that your health & safety risk assessment includes young workers
• obtained parental consent and have an awareness of working time restrictions if your new employee is under the age of 18.

Exemplar first ninety-day plan

It can help if you have a plan in place for how you’ll onboard your new employee. 

Some of the most common onboarding plans focus on a 90-day window.

A simple 90-day plan might include:

• First day: tour of the premises, introductions, safety briefing, observation tasks
• First week: your new employee could shadow team members, complete basic supervised tasks and get a feel for the business
• First month: your new employee will see an increase in their responsibilities with regular check-ins with you
• Ongoing: you may put in place weekly catch-ups and monthly progress reviews as they progress through their probation period. This will help you assess how they are adjusting to their new role in your business.

How do I access financial support for my new employee?

The UK government actively supports smaller businesses taking on apprentices and providing work experience through various funding schemes that many business owners can utilise. 

You should familiarise yourself with the Apprenticeship Funding Rules.

You could follow these three steps to access funding for your young employee.

1. Register on Apprenticeship Service 
2. Choose an approved training provider
3. They handle funding claims and paperwork.

How to fund work experience placements

Some local authorities and organisations offer grants or support schemes for a ‘quality’ work experience placement, that is one that provides meaningful learning and development rather than just basic administrative tasks. 

Check with your local council or chamber of commerce for available programmes in your area.