Breaking the Experience Barrier: Creating Opportunities for Young Talent to Shine

In the modern job market, young people are increasingly finding themselves at a significant disadvantage. The conundrum they face is both frustrating and paradoxical: to get a job, they need experience; yet, to gain experience, they first need a job. This experience barrier is a formidable obstacle, preventing countless talented youths from entering meaningful employment and launching their careers.

However, innovative solutions are emerging to address this challenge, with organisations like Generation leading the charge in breaking down these barriers and paving the way for young talent to shine. Read on for a closer look at the experience issue, what we’re doing to solve it, and how you can be a part of that solution.

The Experience Paradox

The transition from education to employment is a critical period in a young person’s life, yet it’s here that many encounter the so-called “experience paradox”. Employers, in a bid to minimise risk and ensure productivity, often prefer candidates with previous work experience. This creates a cycle that is difficult for those without experience to break into, regardless of their potential or other achievements. The impact is twofold: it stifles the individual’s career progression and contributes to broader economic and social issues, such as unemployment and underemployment among youths.

Because the experience paradox negatively impacts youth employment, it also plays into youth economic mobility challenges. Youth economic mobility is crucial for fostering a healthy, equitable society and driving economic growth, contributing to reduced poverty levels and a more diverse workforce in which young people can bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the table. Ensuring economic mobility for young adults promotes social cohesion and reduces income inequality, making it a pivotal factor in building sustainable communities and economies.

Consequently, the experience paradox acts as a gatekeeper, limiting access to opportunities for meaningful employment and upward mobility for the next generation.

Bridging the Gap With Generation

Enter Generation. We are a global organisation dedicated to transforming education-to-employment systems and thereby empowering young people to build thriving, sustainable careers. Our approach is multifaceted and deeply integrated, focusing on providing young adults with the skills, experiences, and opportunities they need to overcome the experience barrier and find meaningful employment. By collaborating with employers, educators, and governments, Generation creates programmes that are both responsive to the needs of the job market and tailored to the unique challenges faced by young job seekers.

Our Approach

At the heart of Generation’s success is its innovative approach, which is designed to equip our learners with the tools they need to succeed in the workforce. This approach encompasses several key components:

• Demand-driven curriculum: By analysing the needs of the job market, Generation ensures that its curriculum is closely aligned with real-world demand, making participants more attractive to potential employers.
• Mentorship and support: Understanding that personal and professional development go hand in hand, Generation provides participants with access to mentors and a support network that guides them throughout their journey.
• Integrated work experience: Perhaps most crucially, Generation offers integrated work experiences that allow participants to gain real, meaningful employment experience. This is instrumental in breaking the experience barrier, as it enables young people to build their resumes and prove their capabilities to future employers.

Through these and other initiatives, Generation is actively addressing the experience paradox, providing young people with a valuable stepping stone into the world of work.

While Generation has made significant strides in creating opportunities for young talent, the challenges faced by youth entering the workforce are ongoing and multifaceted. These challenges require the collective effort of all stakeholders in the workforce ecosystem, including businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies. Organisations have a crucial role to play in this endeavour, not only by partnering with us at Generation to provide work experience opportunities, but also by re-evaluating hiring practices to be more inclusive of those without traditional experience.

Supporting Generation — whether through partnerships, funding, or individual donations — is an investment in the future workforce. It’s an opportunity to contribute to a more equitable, diverse, and vibrant job market, where talent and potential are the primary criteria for success. Help us break down the experience barrier for young people and open up new opportunities for job seekers around the world.

At Generation, we’re making a life-changing career available to anyone, anywhere. Explore our employment programmes to see the professions we support, or donate today to help us create career opportunities for our learners!