Show Up Before You Need Something: How ERGs Can Help Young People Take That First Step
Youth unemployment has hit 16.1% - the highest it's been since 2014. At recent events, young people described job hunting as "daunting, repetitive, confusing and isolating." Four words that say everything about where we are right now.
In this interview, Nicholas Powell, Corporate Partnerships Manager at UK Youth, makes the case that the most powerful thing ERG leaders can do isn't wait for a recruitment drive or a CSR budget to be signed off. It's to show up in communities now, before you need anything in return, because that's exactly what gives young people the foundation they need to take their first step.
UK Youth work directly with young people across the UK. What are you seeing in terms of the biggest barriers to opportunity today?
So first, a bit of context, because the picture right now is genuinely alarming. Youth unemployment has hit 16.1%, the highest it's been since 2014. Former minister Alan Milburn called it an "existential" risk, warning it could put "a generation on the scrapheap." And honestly, when you're working with young people every day, you feel the weight of that.
At a recent event in Liverpool, some of the young people we support described job hunting as "daunting, repetitive, confusing and isolating." Those four words have really stuck with me. Across our work, we see a crisis of aspiration. Young people who want to work but struggle to take that first step because it feels overwhelming and they lack the right support, or those who've applied for dozens of jobs and are close to giving up.
The other two biggest barriers we keep coming back to are lack of experience, with even entry-level roles asking for work experience now, which feels unnecessary, and mental health, with DWP data showing that half of NEET young people declare a health condition.
From your perspective, how early do issues around representation and confidence begin to show up in young people's lives?
Honestly? Right from the start. And a lot of it comes down to work experience at school, something that sounds relatively small but has a massive knock-on effect.
If your parents can bring you into their workplace, or they've got friends who can offer you a placement, you're already ahead. You arrive at 16 or 18 with something on your CV, a bit of confidence, and some sense of how a professional environment works. If you don't have that network around you, you're starting from behind, and that gap just compounds over time.
Now, I'm not blaming parents for using their networks; that's completely natural. But it does mean companies need to think creatively about how they open up work experience to a much wider group of young people. Youth clubs and youth workers play a huge role here, because for many young people, they're the bridge to those kinds of opportunities. Without them, there's often nothing filling that gap.
What role can corporate ERGs play in supporting social mobility and youth development?
I've got a bit of a list for this one, so bear with me! But if I had to sum it up first, the most effective ERGs operate like internal policy advocates with community legs. They shape culture from the inside while building real bridges to the communities their companies say they want to reach.
So, here's what that can actually look like:
Supporting young people already inside your business. Youth voice needs to be genuinely championed, not just tokenised. There are so many businesses that stand to gain from proper intergenerational exchange; things like reverse mentoring, where young employees share their perspectives with senior leaders, can be genuinely eye-opening for both sides. This is a journey we all have a responsibility to take, and you can get started and learn from inspiring peers by becoming a signatory of the Power of Youth Charter.
Advocating for more accessible hiring. Initiatives like the Summer Jobs Programme are a brilliant concrete example of how companies can diversify their talent pipeline while creating life-changing opportunities. ERGs are perfectly placed to push for these kinds of programmes and helping hiring managers understand that a young person who's volunteered at a youth club, organised community events, or navigated real adversity has developed skills that are genuinely valuable.
Becoming trusted adults and mentors. The Government's recent National Youth Strategy has a central objective of growing the number of trusted adults available to young people, and that's something ERG members can directly contribute to. You can offer young people mentors who genuinely reflect where they've come from, and that kind of role modelling is powerful in a way that a careers fair just can't replicate.
Championing youth work itself. This one often gets overlooked. Good quality youth services are well-supported by strong evidence, and a longitudinal study found that young people who access youth work grow up to be happier, healthier, and wealthier than those who don't. That's remarkable. ERGs can advocate internally for supporting youth organisations and can build their own community partnerships that extend that reach even further.
How can organisations build meaningful, long-term community partnerships?
This is something UK Youth has put a lot of thought into, and it's actually what our Building Connections programme is designed to do. We match companies with a local youth organisation and support both sides in building a real relationship.
What's struck me from our evaluations is how these partnerships evolve in ways nobody planned for. What starts as donating some equipment might turn into hosting office visits, running workshops, doing one-to-one mentoring, arranging work experience and sometimes even directly hiring young people. The relationship takes on a life of its own when there's genuine interest from both sides.
One thing that really makes it work is the Local Lead role, usually an ERG member who champions the partnership internally, keeps the energy up, and gets colleagues involved. That single point of contact makes a huge difference to how much impact is generated. And the great thing is the model is completely scalable; we can match multiple offices to different local youth clubs, so larger companies can run this across regions and create a whole range of volunteering and engagement opportunities.
What does an impactful partnership look like from your side? What makes a corporate relationship truly valuable?
Oh, this is my favourite question. Let me tell you about our partnership with Intact Insurance, since it’s a great partnership that continues to exceed expectations.
Intact funds an employability programme across several of their office locations, targeting areas of highest deprivation and young people who are NEET and facing multiple barriers. Young people receive bespoke support, building socio-emotional skills such as communication, teamwork, and goal setting, alongside practical employability skills such as CV writing and interview techniques.
One participant, Amanda from Liverpool, said: "I gained the confidence and self-belief to turn my life around. Before, I was recovering from addiction and struggling to find purpose. The programme showed me how to set goals, believe in myself, and take control of my future. This change has been life-altering."
But what makes Intact special is that the funding is just the foundation. Colleagues have delivered sessions on using AI in job applications, teams have come together to help refurbish a youth club, and they organised a visit to Microsoft's London offices for the young people. Individuals have personally mentored young people, and we've even had an Intact exec mentoring a youth work leader. That kind of closeness creates unique development opportunities for the young people.
And it spirals outward, too. That level of internal buy-in has opened up new fundraising opportunities for UK Youth, which in turn leads to even more life-changing services for young people. Over the last two years, there have been over 20 Intact runners at the London Marathon, a real presence at our annual Gala Dinners, and their own fundraising events on our behalf. It becomes a real culture of impact.
That, to me, is what a truly valuable partnership looks like.
For ERG leaders in the room, what small but powerful actions could they take this year to create external impact?
Shameless plug first, get in touch with us at UK Youth! We've got programmes running across many locations, and we often need support.
I'd also say don't underestimate the power of connecting with other ERG leaders. Even being here today at the ERG Blueprint Conference is a step in the right direction. There's real strength in ERGs sharing what's working, borrowing ideas from each other, and even collaborating across companies on community initiatives. You're not in competition when it comes to social impact.
And practically speaking, small actions can make a real difference. Signing the Power of Youth Charter, piloting reverse mentoring, or simply finding out what youth organisations are operating near your offices and making a call. None of those things requires a big budget or top-level sign-off. They just require someone deciding to start.
How can businesses better connect early talent pipelines with underrepresented communities?
In my experience, it really comes down to showing that you genuinely care and doing it before you need anything in return.
Any business can say it's committed to inclusion, but the ones that stand out are the ones that show up in communities. If you've been supporting a youth club in a deprived area for two years, volunteering, funding sessions and mentoring young people, those young people already know who you are by the time they're thinking about careers. You've built trust. You're not a faceless corporation sending a recruiter to a careers fair, you're someone they've actually met.
So rather than competing with every other employer for the same candidates through the same channels, you can develop an entirely different pipeline, one built on genuine community investment. You're not just improving your recruitment metrics; you're actually improving social mobility. Those things can absolutely go hand in hand.
If you could leave ERG leaders with one call to action, what would it be?
Give me a call! Genuinely.
And look beyond your company's walls. I meet people in corporate roles all the time who say that community impact work is their favourite part of their job. It gives them a reason to show up, a sense of purpose, and real connections with colleagues they might never have met otherwise. That energy is contagious, and it's exactly what you want in a workplace.
So, my one thing is this: the investment you make in your communities will come back inside your organisation too. More engaged employees, a stronger talent pipeline, and a culture people are proud of. Supporting young people isn't a distraction from your day job; it might just be the most valuable thing your ERG does all year.
Power of Youth Charter
If this interview has sparked something, whether it's signing the Power of Youth Charter, reaching out to a local youth organisation, or exploring UK Youth's Building Connections programme, which matches companies with local youth clubs and supports both sides in building something lasting, there are practical ways to start this week. As Nicholas puts it, none of it requires a big budget or top-level sign-off. It just requires someone deciding to start.
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