Elevate Equity: Harnessing young talent

We look forward to welcoming you to The Open University campus. To ensure we get the most out of the day, we would appreciate you joining us for the full conference. We will provide breakfast, lunch, and refreshments, so please advise us if you have any dietary requirements.

Gen-Z have come of age during unprecedented times of COVID-19. But what impact has the pandemic had on Gen-Z school and work experiences? How has this shaped the generation of new employees? What has been the mental health impact, and have Gen-Z’s expectations on employers and careers changed in the era of social media?

Speaker

Joseph Lennox

Senior Strategy Advisor, HMRC

Employers are reporting on a mismatch in the workplace between what they need and young people’s workplace readiness. But how can employers make the onboarding process better? Where does the responsibility lie – is it with employers or with training providers? What is the role of mentoring, work experience and work-based training when a young person is transitioning from education to the workplace?

Speaker

Lauren Mistry

Deputy CEO, Youth Employment UK

More than one in five young people in the UK are eligible for free school meals. That's over two million young people and it’s vital that they have equitable employment and earnings potential to other young people in the UK. Lynne Peabody leads EY Foundation, an independent charity supporting young people from low-income backgrounds get paid work experience, employability skills training and career guidance. Lynne will share how the foundation brings young people and employers together to deliver opportunities in the workplace.

Speaker

Lynne Peabody

CEO, EY Foundation

Many employees enjoy hybrid and remote working and the benefits of digital communication, especially Gen-Z. But it makes some things difficult, especially as formative in-person experiences are important. So how can we solve the hybrid working conundrum? How can we encourage experienced colleagues to share learnings and F2F interactions?

Learning and development can be difficult to navigate in the post-Covid era, but the key is to find a balance for hybrid working and learning.

The panellists

Viren Patel

Director of Employers & Partnerships, The Open University

John Griffin

L&D Lead and Early Professionals Manager, IBM

Kath Austin

Chief Programme Officer, Form the Future

Chris Luck CB MBE DL

Group Chief Executive, Shaw Trust

Gen-Z values what everyone does: a career with purpose and direction, not just a job. They are also looking for recognition, feedback and training. Many Gen-Z employees are also socially conscious and want to work for organisations that align with their values.

What can employers learn from this?

Speaker

Patrick Cantellow BEM

Digital Marketing Manager, Knauf UK & Ireland

How can employers appeal to prospective Gen-Z employees in an employee-driven job market? What role does employer branding play in Gen-Z’s decision and what employee value proposition are organisations bringing to the table?

Speaker

Shelly Larsen-McHugh

Early in Careers Programme Manager, Manpower Group

Investing in your managers to get the best from Gen-Z is crucial, especially if managers haven’t had the same experiences when transitioning from school to the workplace. But outside of management, a match in values and providing the right learning and development is equally important. What are the best practices for Gen-Z retention?

The panellists

Fiona Mason

Chief Human Resources Officer, RDT

Joe Porter

Lead Software Engineer, RDT

Mark Cameron OBE

CEO, The 5% Club

Arainu Afeldt

Senior Head of Corporate Partnerships, The Prince’s Trust