The ManpowerGroup Tomorrow’s Talent event series was born out of the need to take action in tackling youth unemployment – by bridging the gap between school leavers, and gainful unemployment.

The first event in the series brought 28 London students from six different institutes together with 15 hiring managers from a range of employers – including AMEX, BT, Direct Line Group, Elior, Morrisons, TalkTalk and ManpowerGroup.

This gave students the opportunity to improve their interview capabilities, develop networking skills, and break down some of the barriers between them and future employers. For the hiring managers in attendance, the event challenged the misconceptions that commonly exist between hiring managers and young people.

Since then, a number of further Tomorrow’s Talent events have taken place across the UK, including ones focussed on bringing young people together with public sector employers. Faced with an ageing workforce, this aimed to help change the perceptions held by many public sector employers about recruiting young people, and showcase the varied and exciting opportunities available across the sector to young people.

Prior to Tomorrow’s Talent, it was common for employers to think that the responsibility is solely with young people to ready themselves for the world of work. However, now our clients recognise that as an employer they also have to change and actively do something to support engagement with young people – and doing so will lead to a successful outcome for both parties.