‍The latest data from the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) marks a fundamental shift in how employers must view their engagements with young people. Outreach is no longer just a pillar of Corporate Social Responsibility; it is a high-yield investment in the future talent pipeline. However, for this investment to succeed, it requires a foundation of intentionality and a common language.
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The shift toward intentional design

In a challenging economic climate, school and college engagement often faces scrutiny. Traditionally, these activities were seen as "feel-good" initiatives - valuable for brand reputation, but difficult to quantify in terms of business impact.

The CEC Employer Standards 2024/25 report changes that narrative. The data suggests that the most effective outreach isn't defined by the volume of activity, but by its structure. At the Skills Builder Partnership, we see this as a move toward "intentional design" - ensuring that every interaction between an employer and a young person is focused on building the specific essential skills required for the modern workplace.
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The evidence for a structured approach

The CEC report highlights that when employers move away from ad-hoc activities toward a skill-focused strategy, the benefits are measurable and significant:

• Enhanced pipelines: Employers offering any form of workplace experience are 77% more likely to report tangible business benefits - including more robust talent pipelines - compared to those who offer none.
• Significant reductions in recruitment costs: The impact on the bottom line is clear - employers who take the time to help young people understand how essential skills are used and valued in a professional context are more than twice as likely to see a reduction in recruitment costs (40% compared to just 19%).
• Measurable growth in employability: Intentionality drives results. By providing structured opportunities to practise and progress against essential skills during workplace experiences, employers are 72% more likely to report an improvement in the employability of the young people they reach.
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How the Skills Builder Partnership enables strategic growth

To transition outreach from a line item to a strategic asset, the Partnership focuses on grounding every activity in the Universal Framework. This transition is supported across three core pillars:

1. Creating a shared language (outreach)

The CEC report emphasises that the best outcomes happen when young people understand how skills are valued at work. By using the Universal Framework, employers and students finally speak the same language. This allows a volunteer to move beyond vague encouragement and instead focus on specific, measurable steps - transforming a simple site visit into a tangible lesson in Teamwork or Problem Solving.

2. Fairer, data-driven hiring (recruitment)

Intentionality doesn't end at the school gates. The Universal Framework supports employers to make recruitment objective and transparent. By mapping job descriptions and assessment criteria to specific skill steps, businesses can remove the "jargon barrier," ensuring they attract a diverse pool of candidates based on their actual potential rather than their background.

3. Continuous professional development (learning and development) 

Building essential skills is a lifelong journey. The Framework allows employers to identify skill strengths and gaps within their existing workforce. Tools like Skills Builder Benchmark enable employees to reflect on their own progress in areas like Leadership or Planning, turning the same language used in outreach into a roadmap for internal career progression.
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The future of talent is essential

The CEC Employer Standards report is a pivotal moment for the sector. The skills gap will not close itself, and the most successful businesses of the next decade will be those that take an active, structured role in developing the talent they need.

Focusing outreach specifically on building essential skills is no longer just a social goal - it is a cost-effective way of developing future talent. By moving from intuitive "feel-good" activities to a rigorous, framework-led approach, we can ensure that every young person - regardless of their starting point - has the tools to succeed. This is the blueprint for a more productive, inclusive, and resilient economy.

Whether you are refining an existing programme or building a new talent pipeline, we are here to help you ground your outreach in evidence. Get in touch with our team to discuss how you can join the employers already using the Universal Framework to drive impact.