It found that the most important factor amongst respondents was learning new skills (57%). Almost half of those surveyed (47%) also regarded being well-read as crucial with a similar number (43%) agreeing that having a keen interest in a hobby was favourable. Just over one third of the managers thought that an interest in community or charity work was important too and one third agreed that young people who had experience of other cultures or who had travelled would be attractive to employers.
The study also investigated how likely young people are to have the skills necessary to join the workforce and be considered an efficient member of staff. Here, just one in ten of those surveyed agreed that young people were fully prepared for the roles they were taking up. The majority of respondents did however note that they were likely to want to develop their skills and learn whilst at work. Central YMCA concluded that these finding mean that as well as technical skills, more soft-skills, such as personal development, should also be promoted amongst young people.
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