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Tackling the “previous experience” paradox for young people looking for work from East Midlands employers

    Cohort 2026 East Midlands Research Placement Project

    Diverse group of young people chatting in college library including female student with disability

    About The Project

    Young people (16-24 year olds) seeking employment in the UK today are facing multiple, complex barriers that can prevent them from finding suitable, sustainable work. Many young people across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire are impacted by difficulties in finding work, with Nottingham City in particular having a high rates of youth unemployment. A particularly significant challenge young people face is where employers often prioritise applicants with previous experience, which can automatically disadvantage young people. This can contribute to a paradoxical cycle where young people are frequently rejected from jobs for not having enough prior experience, but then have very limited opportunities by which to gain meaningful, relevant experience to increase their chances of succeeding in their continued job search.

    While there are many structural and practice-level challenges that contribute to this picture, conversations about how to address this challenges often frame young people as having a deficit of skills or motivations, whilst there have historically been significant gaps between the aims of policy, and the real life behaviours and recruitment practices of employers.

    The outcomes of this research will support ongoing initiatives at Futures, and contribute an evidence base to future policy making at EMMCA.

    Project Aims 

    The overall aims of the project are:

    1. This project aims to understand what best practice for recruiting young people could look like for employers in the East Midlands region.

    2. What can be learnt from employers in the region who are already successfully recruiting and retaining young people, and what barriers are preventing local employers doing more to recruit young people?

    Project Team