Parent and Head shares advice from UK employers for early career employees

Antonia Geldeard, Head of Sydenham & Dulwich Girls GDST shares her research on why employability skills are key to early career recruitment in this market

As the Head of a girls' school in London, preparing our students for the future is something we have recognised and are actively addressing.

For the last six months I have led a research team for the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST), interviewing experts from 27 companies across a broad range of sectors – from financial services to the life sciences and creative industries - about what they are truly looking for in their early career employees.

This mission is also personal for me, as a parent of a 19-year-old university student (accruing significant debt) and a 17-year-old A-level student. My focus has been to understand how our young people, and young women in particular, will secure jobs and develop their careers, especially given the concerning backdrop of a dramatic fall in entry-level jobs and many employers referencing a reduction in junior level positions as AI automates systems.

Employers told me that work readiness is just as important as qualifications or a degree. The employability skills so many of us learnt first-hand from a Saturday job must now become an essential part of our children’s education.

This is what I heard:

The importance of ‘graft’.

My research found that there are still opportunities for young people to develop workplace skills, but these are highly competitive and require an informed, driven approach. Internships are like gold-dust and degree apprenticeships often involve navigating seven competitive rounds.

But one theme kept recurring in my conversations: the vital importance of young people who can prove that they can ‘graft’.

This evidenced resilience is more than a one-week stint of work experience. According to recruiters I interviewed, such as Early Careers Lead, Charlotte Helliwell, at Lockton Insurance, what matters is holding down a job or commitment for a length of time. We cannot undervalue that waitressing job or the bar work – they’re well-known for teaching strength of character and customer relations in the face of challenge.


Communication and confidence

Another common theme from my research is the differences in generational mindsets between the many ‘boomers’ who are now in leadership positions and the new workforce. Managing these differences requires excellent communication skills. More than one leader commented on this need for communication as a primary selection criterion: the ability to manage up, to liaise with teammates, to balance opposing ideas, to receive and respond to criticism, and to do so without having to be coached or taught.

While new employees are often good at advocating for themselves, a number of early careers recruiters have noted issues with young people who can be quick to take on more than they can chew and show signs of anxiety, self-doubt and burn-out.

Studies show this is especially acute among female employees, with our own research showing that confidence can decline in women as early as puberty. It’s why we’re addressing this head-on in our schools - developing partnerships that support workplace and leadership skills at a young age, connecting girls to role models across our alumnae network and making confidence core to our culture and curriculum.

Skills a first-class degree can’t teach

Employers I spoke to, such as early talent and graduate recruitment consultancy, The Information Lab, commonly highlighted the importance of analysis, problem solving and numeracy skills. While a degree certainly develops an analytical and agile mind, recruiters also pointed out that large numbers of graduates have a first-class degree and, these days, that does not offer any employment guarantees.

As one seasoned recruiter put it: “Everyone has the grades.”Another expert, Chris Day, who is experienced in setting up degree apprenticeships at AstraZeneca and Royal London explained a key hiring differentiator: “We look for those who are the most well-rounded, a bit more streetwise and can think on their feet.” He concluded: “You’ve got to be able to demonstrate so much more than education.”

Simulating workshop experiences in schools; managing diverse characters in teams; knowing when to speak and when to listen; articulating and presenting solutions – these are all skills that we should be integrating into education and we are already doing this at the GDST.

Keeping pace with AI

Digital competency remains a common requirement across the employment sector with The Information Lab highlighting data analytics and Excel capability as a recurring benefit within the selection processes for jobs.

HR experts commented on the need for the next generation to keep pace with developments within AI; others recognised the importance of workers who manage new AI systems. More than one sector predicted an increasing demand for consultancy in the future employment market, with employees possibly working shorter contracts and moving around companies

The creative industries frequently highlighted the importance of applicants having learned key technical skills via a degree prior to employment but also cited their preference for placements of at least 3 months to evidence ‘stickability’ and ‘passion’. These industries require determination as well as well-informed candidates.

The power of perseverance

One crucial piece of advice I was given for those entering the job market by Gemma Lines, the Chief People Officer at MS Amlin, is to develop resilience.

The recommendation is to apply for plenty of jobs - more than 30 - and accept that not being selected is part of the process.“

Successful candidates must tailor each application carefully, get interview practice, research the company and role beyond the surface level of its website, and ‘put yourself out there’”, advises Rebecca Moran, Head of Human Resources at Chatham House.

There has to be a fundamental willingness to persevere. This places a clear responsibility on schools and parents: we must enable children to learn to fail, stop over-protecting them from disappointment, and remove certain safety-nets.

Parents and teachers I have spoken to recognise that something must change in how we prepare our young people for the future. My vision for our school to empower young women to forge their futures drives the changes we are making to our curriculum, to ensure that our girls leave us with the employability skills they will need to thrive in the world as it is, and the agility to pivot when things inevitably change.

Across GDST schools, we are already redefining what an education means, incorporating more practical workplace skills such as relationship building and networking workshops. If traditional Saturday jobs are now few and far between, emphasising workplace skills and personal development in our schools will be key to the next generation finding employment.

But adapting to this new economy cannot lie solely with schools and young people. Employers also need to meet us halfway. Yes, we must listen to their advice, but we must also invest in new skills-based opportunities that will set our young people up to thrive. That is the future they deserve.

June 2026