Case Studies Show Positive Youth Development Empowers Young Workers
A new Child Trends series explores how employers can use positive youth development practices to better support young workers.
Comprised of three case studies, the series details promising practices for ensuring young people succeed in the workplace. They draw on insights from focus groups at Generation Work sites in Chicago, Illinois, and Birmingham, Alabama, as well as interviews with workforce development practitioners.
“Young adults are an integral part of America’s workforce, and employers play an important role in their success,” said Ranita Jain, a senior associate with the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “Using direct input from employers and young adults, Child Trends has shared valuable recommendations for creating workplaces where young people can learn, grow and thrive.”
Child Trends is a key partner in the Foundation’s Generation Work initiative, which partners with employers to connect young adults — especially young people of color and those from low-income families — with stable jobs.
Young Adult Workers’ Professional Development
Promising Practices for Incorporating Positive Youth Development Into Young Adult Workers’ Professional Development recommends four professional development strategies that incorporate positive youth development principles.
- Create a structured, supportive and safe environment. By creating workplaces where young adults can ask questions and take responsibility for their training and work, employers foster a sense of belonging and commitment.
- Ensure managers and young adults work together toward shared goals. This includes having managers set clear professional goals with their young employees and ensuring managers meet with them throughout the year to help them accomplish those goals.
- Provide young workers with internal and external training opportunities. Internally, employers can connect young people to on-the-job training and workshops that help them build important skills and gain valuable experience. External training opportunities from a third party or postsecondary institution help mold young people into valuable long-term employees.
- Establish clear pathways and processes for promotion. Employers with transparent and well-defined policies for advancement create trust and motivation among their young employees.
Young Adult Worker Voice
Promising Practices for Incorporating Positive Youth Development Into Young Adult Worker Voice Initiatives outlines three ways employers can seek out and incorporate young adults’ feedback.
- Normalize collecting feedback as a part of day-to-day operations. Solicit thoughts from each team member — including staff who are just beginning their careers — and ensure feedback is collected at designated intervals during projects.
- Recognize young workers for their contributions. Publicly acknowledge and reward good ideas or helpful suggestions.
- Position leadership and management to provide feedback to workers early in their careers. This empowers young workers to speak out when issues arise and provides them with coaching and mentoring that will benefit their careers in the long term.
Young Adult Worker Supervision
Promising Practices for Incorporating Positive Youth Development Into Supervision of Young Adult Workers urges workforce practitioners to leverage their unique understanding of supervision structures to encourage employers to adopt practices that build on young adults’ strengths. This case study highlights four employer supervision practices that can enrich young workers’ experiences on the job.
- Set clear expectations for young workers. Outline expectations as early as the first job interview and initial onboarding to develop a shared understanding of work responsibilities. When employers find that young workers are struggling with work-related duties, they can identify ways to support workers.
- Get to know younger employees as people. Understand young people’s goals, interests, strengths and personalities and treat them as valued team members.
- Equip managers with what they need to be good managers. Employers can provide formal management training on topics ranging from racial equity and inclusion to goal setting. Train managers to create environments where young workers feel comfortable.
- Encourage professional relationships with management-level staff. By establishing relationships between young workers and multiple managers or mentors, employers can ensure young team members are heard and supported. In turn, managers better understand the needs of younger employees.
