YOUTH IS FOR INVESTMENT

The shortage of young people coming into the labour market in the 1990s and the challenges this poses to employers were tackled at an Industrial Society conference in June. Investing in the Future was designed to encourage organisations to focus on the specific training and development needs of their young employees. Delegates heard a keynote speech from Alistair Graham, Director of the Society, and attended a choice of workshops. These covered aspects of recruiting and developing young people, including the use of psychometric testing, monitoring, distance learning, involving the line manager, and the development of a skills passport to record a young person's achievements at work, both as a means of giving them recognition and as a guide to potential future employers.