Introducing Peter
Our final introduction to our research team is Peter. We have four young people working on our youth employment accessibility research. The research assessment is based on a criteria set by young people and carried out by young people too. Peter has been on our research journey from the very beginning. Our work has very much been inspired by his Hidden Talent project (which we would urge you all to read – as you’ll see below, Peter has a way with words that keeps you wanting more).
Tell us what you think about Access Generation’s research project?
I feel the work carried out by Access Generation is highly pivotal to the future of UK recruitment. It shocks me that not enough people are partaking in this kind of research, although on the plus side it gives us the chance to be innovators in our field! I feel this research has the capacity to be something truly special. This is not just about rectifying what has come before (not that there are hordes of embittered jobseekers lying in wait!) but this is also about paving the way for future generations. Too many people are missing out on work and I would hope that what we are doing will narrow down that number. At the risk of sounding over the top, this research is crucial not just to the productivity and success of the UK recruitment market, but also to the longevity of the UK economy. We live in financially strenuous times. Employers need employees to carry their business forward, and employees need employers to develop their careers. It sounds so simple… …except it really isn’t. For a lot of people looking for work, it feels like you have to jump through countless hoops to get there, essentially turning the application process into an online circus. What is troubling is that these aren’t new issues that have only just popped up on the horizon. They have always been there. Access Generation have merely shone a light on the issue. The project is a crucible for change looking to even the playing field for candidates, and I am privileged to working on this project alongside this group of game-changing innovators.
What would you like us to tell employers on your behalf?
“Let us young people into work! We’ve been left banging on the doors of employment for far too long!” Or, if you’d prefer a non-melodramatic answer: We spend so much time fixated on developing careers, but many young people don’t have that starting point, instead young people are expected to walk into a workplace gift-wrapped with 15 years of experience. There are some fantastic young people out there who could forge a successful career with the right starting point. And there are countless capable employers out there who could give them that starting point, creating an effective partnership. But the application stage is the conduit that connects candidate and employer. Without it, candidates may spend many of their 20s floating through unemployment limbo. We feel employers are key to ushering in these necessary changes, and I would implore any employers reading this to work with us to deliver the best of both worlds; all the strengths of the recruitment process and none of the weaknesses.
Tell us a little bit about yourself…
During my time with Talent Match, I created a digital CV, which I then presented to a group of employers. One of these employers – Adrian Hobbs, Managing Director of Workvine – saw a lot of potential in me and took me on as a Content Creator, putting me in charge of much of the company’s written content, including their blogs, whitepapers and online research. I am lucky to have found such a fulfilling job that let’s me use all of my skillets… Of course, given that I sit next to a window in the office, I have to make sure I don’t give Adrian a good reason to throw me through it!
My primary interests include cinema. If I were to live my life by a religion, it would probably be cinema, with Christopher Nolan or Quentin Tarantino as my God. I have seen over a thousand films in my lifetime, although I have not spent actually at the cinema – which is probably for the best I imagine the actual result would traumatise me no end. I am particularly fond of science-fiction, having greatly admired sci-fi classics such as Blade Runner, Alien, Looper, Arrival, Moon etc. Let’s just say I love sci-fi and leave I am also a voracious reader, having enjoyed the works of Alan Moore, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Joss Whedon, Steven Moffat, and Michel Faber to name but a few. I also enjoy partaking in swimming and climbing, particularly on high-ropes (how much of this is due to a childhood obsessing over Spider-Man is up for debate).
At this current point in life, I am working as the researcher and blogger for the Hidden Talent project, a research project working to raise awareness of the issues young people with hidden conditions struggle with when looking for work. Perhaps my greatest passion is writing, particularly creative writing, and I hope to indulge in my passion for writing science-fiction on a greater level. I have grown up fascinated by the great works of science fiction, ever since having the soul-enriching experience of watching Blade Runner. I hope to one day make my own mark on a genre I greatly admire. So, that’s essentially me in a nutshell… if said nutshell came across as a demented sci-fi fanatic!
