From First Job to Future Career

Why adult care and early years must be part of the youth employment conversation

Too many young people are outside education, employment and training. At the same time, adult care and early years employers are facing real pressure to recruit, train and retain the next generation of skilled people.

The national conversation has moved on. While the Industrial Strategy remains important, it does not fully answer the immediate challenge facing young people, employers and local communities.

At Connect2Care, part of The Opportunity Provider, we believe the country does not need endless new schemes. It needs real routes into work, backed by employers, supported by trusted training providers and understood by young people.

That is why The Opportunity Provider has developed From First Job to Future Career: TOP’s Youth Employment Manifesto.

The manifesto sets out how apprenticeships, employers and training providers can work together to help more young people move into work, build confidence and progress into lasting careers.

Care and early years offer careers with purpose

For many young people, the first step into work will not be in advanced manufacturing, clean energy or life sciences.

It may be in a nursery, a care setting, a residential home, a family-run business or a community organisation.

These are places where young people learn how work works. They are also places where young people can build meaningful careers that support children, families, adults, older people and local communities.

Adult care and early years should be recognised as Career Starter Sectors because they are open, local and people-facing. They teach the professional behaviours every employer needs:

● timekeeping;
● teamwork;
● communication;
● resilience;
● responsibility;
● planning;
● problem solving;
● care and compassion;
● leadership;
● emotional intelligence.

A first job in adult care or early years can give a young person confidence, structure, income and transferable skills. It can also give them a clear route into skilled, respected and purpose-led work.

First job can become future career

Adult care and early years are not just entry-level sectors. They are sectors where young people can build long-term careers.

A care worker can progress into a senior care worker, lead adult care worker, deputy manager, registered manager or specialist role.

An early years apprentice can progress into early years practitioner, educator, lead practitioner, room leader, deputy manager or setting manager.

A young person who starts in a support role can build confidence, gain qualifications and become part of a skilled workforce that families and communities rely on every day.

Apprenticeships make this progression visible and achievable.

Apprenticeships should create pathways, not just vacancies

Youth employment is not only about creating new entry-level jobs.

In many businesses, the best way to create an entry point for a young person is to upskill and promote someone already in the organisation. When a team member moves into a senior role, supervision or management, a new entry-level opportunity can open up behind them.

Apprenticeships make this possible.

They help employers:

● build progression routes from entry-level roles into skilled careers;
● retain experienced people;
● create space for young people to enter the workforce;
● support workforce planning;
● develop future leaders;
● show young people that care and early years offer careers with purpose and progression.

This matters in adult care, early years and funeral services, where employers need skilled, committed people and clear routes for new talent to enter and progress.

What TOP is asking government to do

Through the manifesto, The Opportunity Provider is asking government to:

● recognise hospitality, retail, early years and adult care as Career Starter Sectors;
● use these sectors as practical delivery partners for the Youth Guarantee;
● fully fund apprenticeships and foundation apprenticeships for all 16 to 18-year-olds in these sectors, regardless of levy status;
● support clear progression from foundation routes into Level 2, Level 3 and higher apprenticeship pathways;
● make foundation apprenticeships more flexible by allowing completion in up to eight months, with earlier progression into Level 2 or Level 3 apprenticeships where the learner is ready;
● fund practical apprenticeship units for work-readiness and first-line managers;
● de-risk youth apprenticeships for providers, not just employers;
● protect small businesses from unnecessary cost and administration;
● measure success through retention, achievement, progression and confidence, not just apprenticeship starts.

Supporting employers to bring young people into care and early years

Employers in adult care and early years play a vital role in local communities. They support families, children, adults and older people. They also create local jobs and career opportunities.

But taking on a young person can feel like a big step, especially for smaller employers.

Young people often need more onboarding, more workplace support, more confidence-building, and in some cases additional support with English, maths, SEND or wider learning needs. Employers also need support to help line managers coach, motivate and retain young apprentices.

That is why TOP’s manifesto calls for government to support providers as well as employers. Employer incentives create the opportunity. Provider capacity, employer engagement and learner support help young people take that opportunity, stay on programme and succeed.

Connect2Care’s role

Connect2Care will continue to work with employers in adult care, early years and funeral services to create practical apprenticeship pathways that help people enter, stay and progress in work.

We will support employers to grow their own talent, promote from within and create space for young people to join the workforce.
We will continue to work with sector bodies, employers and partners to show what is possible, share good practice and build confidence in apprenticeships as a route into work and progression.

Adult care and early years can provide a first step and a lasting career.

Apprenticeships can connect both.

Read the full manifesto

This article forms part of The Opportunity Provider’s wider Youth Employment Manifesto, From First Job to Future Career, which calls for greater recognition of the sectors that give young people their first chance in work and clear pathways to progress.

Download the full manifesto to read our full position and policy asks.