How Business Leaders Can Step Up And Support Young People Who Want To Enter The Workforce

Forbes

22-07-2025

Gary Ivory is the president and CEO of Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.
Young people's access to educational and vocational opportunities is crucial for communities to thrive.
Consider a study published in 2016 that looked at the 'relationship between intergenerational educational pathways and crime in the United States.' The researchers found that 'downward educational pathways were predictive of increases in crime, whereas upward pathways were associated with decreases in crime.' In other words, young people who surpassed their parents' education level, especially those who received a four-year college degree when their parents didn't, were less likely to be involved in criminal activity as young adults.
As for youth workforce development being vital for communities to thrive, a report published in 2022 by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-Pal), which examined summer youth employment programs (SYEPs), shed light on the issue. One finding? 'There is promising evidence that SYEPs have positive effects on a range of youth development outcomes including socio-emotional skills, academic and career aspirations, and work habits associated with job readiness.'
My experience working with young people in various communities has shown me that when young people have educational and workforce development opportunities, they are more likely to become productive and hardworking members of society, which in turn strengthens communities and the economy. Businesses, both large and small, can play a crucial role in this process. Business leaders can help young people get the support they need to explore and pursue educational and vocational opportunities.
Why Business Leaders Should Get Involved
One conversation can completely change the course of a young person's life. I've found this to be especially true for young people facing complex life circumstances, such as poverty and instability at home. Unfortunately, I've observed that there is a narrative that some young people are not capable of succeeding because of the obstacles they've faced in life, because of their neighborhoods or zip codes. But my team and I have found that this isn't true—they are capable of contributing at a high level.
Be it through offering funding, educational or employment opportunities or mentorship, business leaders can ignite life-changing conversations. For instance, a young person who receives a college scholarship funded by a local business may end up in a psychology class, where speaking with their professor puts them on a path toward pursuing a graduate degree in the field. A medical clinic that opens its doors to young people to shadow physicians can spark behind-the-scenes conversations that inspire them to pursue careers in healthcare. A mentor who sits down with a young person and explains their career path can introduce them to a type of job they didn't even know existed.
Helping young people become invested in their education and career benefits everyone. Free market capitalism requires that there are enough people capable of filling jobs. When business leaders help connect youths to educational and workforce development opportunities, they are shaping the workers of tomorrow—and the futures of their communities.
How Business Leaders Can Contribute
There are three main ways that business leaders can contribute to helping young people secure educational and workforce development opportunities. As I mentioned earlier, those three ways are via offering funding, educational or employment opportunities or mentorship.
Starting with funding, business leaders can contribute to educational scholarships and other funds, such as internship stipends and transportation subsidies. For example, at my nonprofit, we created a scholarship, funded by employee donations, for systems-involved program participants and their parents and guardians. Financial support can help young people facing challenging situations participate in educational or vocational endeavors. For instance, a college scholarship can help a young person from a low-income household pay tuition fees and purchase books and meals, giving them the chance to work toward a degree. An internship stipend can make it possible for a young person to take a summer opportunity that they otherwise couldn't have if the internship were unpaid. A transportation subsidy could help a young person without a car purchase a bus pass so they can get to and from work.
Business leaders can also create educational or employment opportunities for youths. By doing so, businesses can get extra help, and young people can gain valuable experience. For instance, for my nonprofit's Supported Work program, we partner with companies to provide subsidized employment opportunities to participating young people.
Additionally, business leaders can offer their time and serve as mentors, sharing their career paths and experiences with young people. For instance, my nonprofit designed a curriculum to prepare individuals who face employment barriers for jobs that align with their gifts and talents.
Business leaders can create and run their own programs to offer funding, educational or employment opportunities or mentorship. Or they can collaborate with nonprofits to do so. There are pros and cons to each approach. For example, an advantage of a business's leaders creating and running their own mentorship program for their community is that they will have more oversight of the process. However, a disadvantage is that they will have to navigate challenges, such as behavioral and mental health obstacles that participants might face, on their own, rather than working with nonprofits that specialize in navigating workforce development challenges.
The Key Principles For Success
Regardless of how business leaders choose to get involved or whether or not they decide to roll out initiatives on their own or collaborate with nonprofits, based on my experience, there are two key principles for success when working with young people to connect them to educational and vocational opportunities.
First, business leaders should meet young people where they are. Young people have different educational and career goals, and that's OK. For instance, some may need support getting their GEDs. Some might need math tutoring. Some might want to learn a trade, such as welding. Others might want to pursue art school. Regardless of what the specific goals are, business leaders should respect them.
Second, business leaders should be authentic. I've found that young people want authenticity and respond to genuine interactions. By being themselves, business leaders can show young people possibilities, and young people can go out and turn those possibilities into realities, ultimately strengthening their communities.
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