With that in mind, I was particularly taken with a report from the Department for Work and Pensions that looks at what employers look for when recruiting unemployed people (it's Research Report no. 295, available on the web site www.dwp.gov.uk). It shouldn't really be a surprise to find that, especially with younger people, it's not qualifications or technical skills that are so vital - they can always be gained later - but communications and interpersonal skills, motivation and flexibility.
Anyone who has ever sat on an interview panel during a recruitment process, no matter how rigorously scientific and by the book, will recognise the truth in this. Many employers display stereotypical views about age - seeing old people as good with people but hard to train, young people as immature but more receptive to learning. But crucially, employers will overlook a lack of qualifications in a young person if they display positive attributes.
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