The pandemic has hit young women the hardest, how Mentoring can help them

As employers we play a central role when it comes to improving young people’s access to the labour market, it is vital that organisations recruit young people if they are to build the skills they need for future success.

Young people have been hit the hardest by the pandemic, not just with getting into work, but also with their mental health. The Prince’s Trust Youth Index 2021 reports that a quarter of young people (24%) say the pandemic has destroyed their career hopes. This has a knock-on effect for employers who are looking to recruit young people into their organisation. As employers, we can provide opportunities for young people to access work experience, employment, training opportunities and provide on-going support during this difficult period.

Young women are more likely to think that building their self-confidence will be the biggest challenge when pursuing a career; young women worry about ‘not being good enough in general’. In addition, young women who are working feel that they need opportunities to develop their skills before they can think about getting a better job. An alarming number of young people feel confined by their circumstances and are at risk of stagnating in jobs that do not enable them to reach their full potential.

To give all young women the opportunity to fulfil their potential, we need to provide the right help to nurture, empower and inspire them, build their self-confidence, their resilience, their mindset and self-belief that they can achieve their goals and overcome challenges. This is where mentoring can have a positive impact.

What is mentoring?

Mentoring is primarily about developing capability and potential. Julie Starr describes mentoring as:

“.. a distinct relationship where one person (the mentor) supports the learning, development, and progress of another person (the mentee). A mentor provides support by offering information, advice and assistance in a way that empowers the mentee”

Julie Starr

Companies that introduce mentoring programmes demonstrate tangible increases in productivity and efficiency as well as intangible benefits such as improved staff morale, greater career satisfaction.

How mentoring is being used to support young women

As business leaders, we need to be supporting today’s young women to succeed in any role they choose by offering exposure to career paths in a variety of roles, role models and opportunities. An initiative that I am currently involved with is the D2N2’s Women In Construction mentoring project in partnership with The Princes Trust and local schools, working with female mentors from the construction industry. Its aim is to change the way young women perceive the industry, with a view to encouraging more to consider this sector as viable career choice, whilst developing key transferable employability skills at the same time. Hopefully, this initiative will be rolled out to other sectors.

The benefits

I have seen first-hand the power mentorship can have and the tremendous impact on a young woman’s life and aspirations and how it can help them to achieve their full potential as well as give them the employability skills businesses are looking for. When young women are mentored, first in the classroom and later in the workplace, they are better prepared to tackle their future with confidence and ambition.

Young women need a greater access to opportunities, but also the confidence to seize those opportunities and the skills to thrive in them. It has never been more important to come together, to bridge the gap between education and the workplace, and to ensure that everyone is equipped with the skills they need to enter and progress in work.

How I can help…

If you would like to become a mentor or are thinking of setting up a mentoring programme in your organisation, please get in touch: 01332 527144 enquiries@fptrainingltd.co.uk

Get involved – useful contacts:

https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/

Kickstart Scheme – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Refs:

https://www.thegirlsnetwork.org.uk/

https://www.princes-trust.org.uk/about-the-trust/research-policies-reports/youth-index-2021

Building the future: women in construction report. The Smith Institute 2014