Kathryn Scott, HR Director, Canon UK & Ireland says…

The generation that came of age during the pandemic, must now contend with rising living costs and a shrinking job market; with youth unemployment hitting an 11 year high earlier this year. But, for all the challenges, there’s clearly an essential opportunity to transform how we educate and inspire young people entering the workforce.



As we marked World Youth Skills Day on the 15th of July, I wanted to reflect on how we, as HR leaders, can play our part.
I believe we should embrace the responsibility to support young people, helping them develop their skills and enter the workforce with confidence. There are so many bright and ambitious young people who’ve been underserved by the current system, and businesses around the UK are well placed to nurture that talent.

In my role as HR Director at Canon UK & Ireland, I’ve seen firsthand how Canon’s ‘Kyosei’ philosophy of living and working together for the common good can open the door to opportunity. Shaped by this philosophy, there are three key lessons on how to support young people effectively: start early, follow through and build a culture of continuous learning.

Support young people early on

I’ve seen the most powerful impacts from engaging and supporting young people early in their development. Support at the most critical stage of their lives helps young people develop the skills, confidence and independence they need to secure a brighter future.

We’re proud to support ThinkForward’s ‘Future Leaders’ programme, which supports young black men and women, and young South Asian women, who’ve been or are at risk of being excluded from mainstream education. The programme supports 251 young people in schools and alternative provisions in Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham enabling them to benefit from personalised one to one coaching and employability activities. 

During this programme, spearheaded by our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Employee Led Network, our volunteers shared with students their career journey so far; what skills are required for their role, and what their average day looks like. By offering our employees as role models, we fuel young people’s ambition and awaken them to new career paths that are otherwise often overlooked. The power of storytelling can also be a catalyst for change. Canon’s Young People Programme empowers the next generation of young people with the skills, tools and resources they need to share stories about the social and environmental issues that matter most to them, powered by our cutting edge imaging technology.

Through this initiative, we’ve reached over 5,750 young individuals so far through collaborations with more than 50 charity partners across Europe, Middle East and Africa. We recently held two storytelling workshops for young people in Ilford, London, helping them explore how photography and visual storytelling can give them a voice. 
Follow through to develop and retain talent

Businesses can also invest in the next generation of leaders and upskill new workers through apprenticeship programmes. For young people, apprenticeships shouldn’t simply be a way to get a foot in the door. As employers, we need to foster long term development and get the most from the diverse talent pool available to us.    
Canon offers apprenticeship programmes ranging from Level 2 Engineering Operative to Level 7 Accountancy, as well as in Marketing, IT and Software Programming.  

Crucially, we’ve seen tangible outcomes from our apprenticeship scheme as several participants have gone on to become full time employees. As an example, we currently have two former apprentices working to support our Bid and Proposals team as full time employees. In my own team we’ve permanently hired an amazing young woman that we first met at one of our ‘employability and skills’ work experience events. 

We want to offer real opportunities to young people, rather than tick box exercises. It’s only through a long term commitment that we’ll be able to nurture our next generation of leaders.  

Build a culture of continuous learning

Throughout my career, I’ve prioritised building a culture of continued learning. To me this means encouraging everyone – from our undergraduate interns to our senior leaders – to open themselves up to new ideas and novel concepts to develop their role within the company. At Canon we embrace a growth mindset. 

When we reach out to young people still in education to inspire them with new possibilities; and when we help young people enter the workforce for the first time through our apprenticeship programmes, we see these as part of a commitment towards supporting genuine personal and professional growth.

That’s why opportunities should be available to all employees, including leaders. By encouraging a culture of continuous learning and skill development, HR can support lasting careers.   

Invest in the future so that everybody wins

We want to level the playing field and widen the door so that we embrace new perspectives and greater diversity. The more we invest in and work harder to find broader talent pools, the more we’ll benefit from this diversity in the coming years. The programmes we run at Canon UK & Ireland to empower the young people of tomorrow support that ambition. I believe that this effort – to try to reach that wider talent pool –will ensure we remain relevant and continue to be a brand leader in the future.

www.canon.co.uk