Employer engagement with students essential amid skills gaps

Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the OECD, said efforts are needed to give young people the career guidance they need to understand the options open to them.

“Employers also have a key role to play in helping young people see the potential of future opportunities,” Cormann said in a statement.

But according to the report, only a limited percentage of students at the age of 15 in OECD countries have been exposed to work-related environments, such as:

• Visiting a workplace or job shadowing (45%)
• Attending a job fair (35%)
• Completing an internship (35%)

“In general, students who could recall such activities generally said that it had happened on just a single occasion, limiting opportunities to gain useful, new information and experiences,” the report said.