Corporate responsibility of coaching young people in working life on the increase

Alma Media Corporation     Press release       25 May 2011 

 

Corporate responsibility of coaching young people in working life on the increase
Summer staff often lack knowledge of the rules of working life

 

Of employers, 37 % find that young people clearly lack knowledge of the rules of working life. This lack of knowledge manifests itself, for example, as unauthorised absences and failure to come to work on time. However, those young summer employees who are aware of the rules usually also work accordingly, and on the whole, employers are content with their young summer staff. This is shown in the study commissioned by the Finnish Children and Youth Foundation (FCYF) and conducted by T-Media as part of the Responsible Summer Job 2011 (Vastuullinen kesäduuni 2011) campaign. Altogether 120 companies and employers in the public sector all around Finland took part in the study.

 

According to Economic Information Office expert Markku Tenkamaa young people do not get the training that they need at home or at school to enter working life. This means that the role and responsibility of companies in introducing young people to the practises of working life has become more significant. A summer job is a great opportunity to learn the skills needed later in working life.

 

These skills can be further improved with a proper induction, which is an important part of a summer job. Young people, young women in particular, are worried about managing the challenges in their work. With a thorough and respectful induction, employers can ease these fears and worries.

 

Enthusiasm and a good attitude are the recipe for landing a summer job
According to the study, the motivation and positive personality of the applicant are the most important factors considered when selecting summer staff. Nine out of ten employers consider motivation and six out of ten employers personality a very significant criterion in recruitment. Although young job seekers think that previous work experience is the key to success, it is actually considered very important by only six percent of employers, whereas the right kind of education is considered very important by 27 % of employers.

 

Leena Malin, managing director at The Finnish Association for Human Resource Management – HENRY ry confirms this. “Good attitude is what we are looking for”. “An enthusiastic personality and motivation are key elements in succeeding in ones tasks. Summer workers usually don’t have much work experience yet anyway.”

 

Summer job campaign welcomes companies to take on the challenge
The responsible summer job 2011 campaign, led by the Finnish Children and Youth Foundation (FCYF) and Alma Media, is challenging employers to offer more and better summer jobs to young people. The campaign will highlight the principles of a good summer job, through which both the summer employee and employer stand to benefit more from the experience.

 

Over 60 employers are taking part in the campaign, offering more than 15 000 responsible summer jobs.

 

Further information:
Antti Järventaus, Development Manager, the Finnish Children and Youth Foundation, tel. 050 364 6410
Riikka Poukka, Corporate Responsibility Co-ordinator, Alma Media Corporation, tel. 010 665 2800

 

Links: 
The study report is available at www.nuori.fi/kesatyotutkimus. The campaign website can be accessed at facebook.com/kesaduuni2011 and www.nuori.fi/kesaduuni.

 

Alma Media in brief

 

Alma Media is a dynamic media company whose best-known products are Aamulehti, Iltalehti, Kauppalehti and Etuovi.com. Alma Media employs approximately 2,800 professionals. The company’s net sales in 2010 totalled MEUR 311.4 with an operating margin of 13.9 per cent. Alma Media’s share (ALN1V) is listed in the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Exchange. Read more at www.almamedia.fi

 

FCYF in brief
The Finnish Children and Youth Foundation is an expert at young people’s life skills, promoting children’s and young people’s wellbeing and preventing problems.  The foundation, set up in 2001, operates in Finland as well as in several developing countries. Read more at www.nuori.fi

 

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