Celebrating World Youth Skills Day: Unlocking the potential skills of our future generations
This month we’re marking World Youth Skills Day, a United Nations initiative focused on empowering the next generation of business leaders, by sharing tips and advice about careers at Irwin Mitchell and showcasing the work we’re doing to attract diverse young talent.
The annual event aims to recognise the importance of equipping young people with the skills needed for personal development and meaningful employment and encourages organisations to invest in future generations.
Irwin Mitchell recruits circa 650 new employees each year and while we provide legal and financial advice to our clients, over 40% of our 3200 employees work in non-legal roles ranging from business development, sales and marketing, communications, finance, operations, IT, supplier management and many more
Attracting and maintaining diverse talent, whilst empowering our communities through education and employment opportunities, lies at the heart of our approach to doing business responsibly. We recognise that some applicants might be the first in their families to consider a career in this sector, which might seem daunting. To help, as well as outlining some of the alternative career paths available, we’ve asked colleagues with a range of expertise and experience, to share their secrets to help you secure a suitable role, ranging from preparing CVs and LinkedIn profiles, to preparing for job interviews.
Top tips for kick starting your career in the legal and financial services sector
“Do your research. The internet is a great starting point to understand the industry you're interested in, and gain clarity on what's right for you. This could be researching different avenues into the industry - apprenticeships, graduate schemes or an entry-level job, or it could be the type of law firm you're interested in - small high street firm, large national firm or an international firm. Just start somewhere and start early to give you time to discover what's best for you.” Marissa Sanders, Head of Early Careers
“It can be hard to stand out from the crowd, so first impressions count. It's important to showcase the skills and experience that are important to you. It could be work experience, hobbies, volunteering, supporting your community or family member. As someone with Dyslexia, it’s also important to remember to triple check your spelling and grammar as well as clearly formatting your CV." Emma Eaton, Head of Lateral Hires
"My top tip for applications would be to make sure you’re tailoring them, and your CV, to the specific role and firm you are applying for. Do your research on their ethos and the job specification and make sure this is reflected in what you submit. This will demonstrate you’ve understood and properly considered the role and company and for entry level positions where there will be a high volume of applications with candidates of a similar skill set, will help you stand out.” Cat Hanley, Talent Acquisition Consultant
“If you don’t have any work experience, doing fundraising or volunteering in your community is a great way to build transferable skills that you can include on your CV to capture an employer’s attention.” Kate Fergusson, Director of Responsible Business and Sustainability
"LinkedIn can be a great resource for your legal career. It's important to get involved in the communities available on the platform, such as groups made especially for sharing resources and tips with others starting out in law, adding your skills to your profile to collaborate on articles, following law influencers who share advice and building connections with your peers and law professionals you admire. Posting your own thoughts and showcasing your expertise on the platform is ideal too, especially when there is something in the news relating to the legal space that interests you. See your profile as an extension to your CV." Adam McKinley, Social Media Manager
“Use key words in your searches. For example, if there's a key skill or industry like Legal that you're interested in, you want the algorithms on search platforms to pick up on them. Create a LinkedIn profile to sit alongside your CV and connect with firms within the industry you want to work with and colleagues that work within those firms to grow your network.” Jess Penrice, Talent Acquisition Consultant
“Interviews can be daunting but engage with the recruiters to learn more about the process and the interview format. Ask for the job description to help with preparing your answers, gauge what the interviewers might be looking for and to come up with some questions of your own that you can ask the interviewers to leave a lasting impression. And remember…nerves are normal.” Carmia Kendall, Talent Acquisition Advisor
Committed to supporting our future leader
Ahead of Youth Skills Day, our Chief Client Officer, Lou Lumley, who was the first in her family to go to university, attended one of Business in the Community’s (BITC) Seeing Is Believing visits. These events were established in the 1990s by BITC’s founding royal patron, the former Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, to inspire and challenge business leaders to consider actions they could take to support communities by giving them firsthand experiences of some of the issues being faced.
Delegates spent time meeting users and employees of HideOut and The Factory in Manchester, two different organisations that provide courses and careers support for young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Lou said: “The visit really inspired me to work with our teams, so that we challenge ourselves to do even more to support young people in disadvantaged communities to overcome the barriers to employment. We, like many other organisations are already doing a lot, but the practical reality is that it still isn’t enough.”
The event highlighted the barriers some young people are facing in education and employment, which in the UK has led to one in 10 16–24-year-olds being described as NEET (not in education, employment, or training).
The current total figure, on an upward trajectory, is estimated to be 900,000 with 51% of young NEET people saying uncertainty over their futures makes them feel hopeless.
Because engagement with employers is vital to improving motivation and aspirations of this demographic, Irwin Mitchell is focused on developing essential skills through its school outreach, work experience apprenticeship programmes.
Satinder Bains, a Partner in our workplace injury team, leads a work experience programme aimed at providing high quality work experience placements to students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, which forms part of our commitment to PRIME; a consortium of law firms committed to improving social mobility in the industry. Satinder said: “Last year we hosted 50 students across our offices, and we must continue offering up opportunities to those with talent and determination who may otherwise miss out on the opportunity to achieve their full potential.”
Apprenticeships are an alternative route to qualification than going to university. They are real paid jobs that provide hands-on work experience alongside off-the-job training and qualifications. Lorcan Seery, Irwin Mitchell’s Apprentice Manager, is dedicated to working with schools and local communities to ensure a wider range of potential candidates are aware of these alternative career pathways. He said: “Our apprenticeships are more than just a learning opportunity; they’re a gateway to a thriving career. They bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas into the business which are vital for our growth and success.”
Fabianna Bartella, now two years into their solicitor apprenticeship, said: “It’s so different to other routes to qualification and I’m convinced it is the best. The stand-out for me is how quickly I’ve gained a lot of knowledge due to being exposed to the variety of work, getting invaluable practical experience, and learning from professionals in the industry.”
Tax Technician Apprentice, Samuel Towler, added: “One of the main things that stood out about the apprenticeship is how hands-on it is. I rarely complete training exercises to gain experience as I am instead working on actual matters. I find this incredibly valuable to my career development as I am constantly applying the skills taught in the qualification side of the apprenticeship.”
For more information about working at Irwin Mitchell visit the Recruitment Hub on our website or read our latest Responsible Business report.
