Equating youth with talent

This article on the People Management website invites HR professionals to think beyond the possible attitudinal shortcomings of young people and to consider their own role in addressing youth unemployment.

Two thoughts:

• Young people are commonly reported as saying that organizations cite ‘lack of experience’ as a reason for not hiring them – which positions the gaining of experience as something which organizations see as occuring outside their workplace. So it’s interesting to see a call for employers to accept their responsibility in this area.
• Talk of talent and talent management has become common currency in organizations. The article quotes a Learning to Work adviser at Nestlé as saying that her business case for employing young people is that as “ head of talent, it’s my job to fill the talent pipeline” which unequivocally equates talent with youth (and arguably, only with youth).

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