We’ll not alert Gen Z students to roles using dusty old job boards

It’s always disappointing to see once-successful businesses go into administration, but the recent collapse of Monster and CareerBuilder should serve as a wake-up call. In a rapidly changing labour market, no one is immune to disruption.

For training providers, the UK careers landscape has seen little innovation in 30 years. A new approach to recruiting apprentices isn’t just desirable – it’s overdue.

So it’s no surprise only 4.5 per cent of 16 to 18-year-old school-leavers become apprentices, despite a growing NEET (not in education, employment or training) crisis. Careers guidance in England simply isn’t working and it’s not equipped to meet the demands of the government’s industrial strategy.

Ministers appear to recognise this. Last month, the Department for Education announced it would start checking whether schools are complying with the Baker Clause, which requires them to give FE providers access to speak with pupils about post-16 options.

But despite this and a string of well-meaning initiatives, not to mention a mountain of investment, the needle has barely moved since 2018. It’s clear we need something radically different.

With exam season over, we’re now at the height of apprentice recruitment. At Remit Training we never struggle to find applicants for our automotive programmes. But we know our employer partners would benefit from a broader and more diverse talent pool.

Many recruits come from families already in the sector, which is no bad thing. But we also need to appeal to those outside the traditional pipeline. Take young women, for example. They remain underrepresented in automotive roles.

That’s why my heart lifted during a recent Sky F1 grid walk when the presenters interviewed Jodie, a former female apprentice with Mercedes who now works on engine recovery systems for Aston Martin. Her journey is a powerful reminder that university isn’t the only pathway into a high-profile motorsports career.

So, how do we find and inspire more Jodies?

For starters, Gen Z is finished with endlessly reworked CVs and carefully crafted cover letters that often lead nowhere. On our side, AI-generated applications are making it even harder to sift through candidates and identify those with real potential.

In our search for better solutions, we partnered with urfuture, a careers-tech disruptor that understands young people get their information from TikTok and mobile apps, not outdated job boards. Remit Training is the first provider to introduce the new app. It allows would-be apprentices to create a profile in under 10 minutes, avoiding the need to tweak a CV for every job.

Algorithms connect candidates to suitable roles

The platform uses matching algorithms to connect candidates with a genuine interest to suitable roles.

We’ve worked closely with partners to create a customised pathway for automotive and digital apprenticeships. That includes a mechanical reasoning test to help identify aptitude early. It’s short, accessible and non-intimidating so when we reach out to a candidate via a chat or video call, we already know they’re a good fit.

We’re also addressing one of the most common complaints from young applicants: lack of feedback. We’re introducing a system to ensure every unsuccessful candidate gets a proper response and constructive guidance.

This approach is built specifically for Gen Z and designed to support entry-level opportunities at levels 2 and 3. It arrives at a crucial moment: graduates are facing the toughest job market since 2018, and many are questioning whether university was the right choice. Now, more than ever, we must get careers guidance right so school and college leavers can make informed decisions about their futures.

Our new app allows Gen Z talent pools to gain careers advice from other young people in a method that works for their age group. A pilot, run with one employer client and supported by nine TikTok videos, resulted in over 900,000 views.

Could this be the answer to help schoolteachers reach out to all young people and add better knowledge, advice and guidance? After all, nearly everyone has a mobile phone!

National providers can invest in innovative, tech-enabled solutions in a way that local providers often can’t. That’s why we believe the DfE and devolved administrations must urgently abandon tired careers guidance models and adopt new, Gen Z-friendly tools which benefit learners, employers and providers everywhere.