Giving Compass' Take:

• The Bridgespan Group outlines what strategies companies should utilize in order to maximize youth employment and build a talent pipeline. 

• How can other organizations start creating these youth talent pipelines? Where do partnerships come into play? 

• Read about the role of youth leadership in community development work. 

While many companies are interested in unlocking the promise to be found in young people, most don't know how to create a successful youth employment strategy. This white paper identifies common barriers that block many employers from developing a business-focused youth talent pipeline and offers practical strategies successful companies are using to overcome such barriers.

Youth employment is a hot topic not only in the nonprofit world; savvy business leaders also know that training young workers holds the key to U.S. competitiveness and their own business success.

Young workers help businesses boost revenue, drive innovation, add workforce diversity, fill critical skills gaps, and create a robust talent pipeline. Yet while many companies are interested in unlocking the promise young people hold, most don’t know how to create a successful youth employment strategy. In fact, while 40 percent of U.S. employers struggle to fill more than five million open jobs, six million young adults are neither working nor in school.

We believe this situation can be corrected. In collaboration with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, The Bridgespan Group has co-authored the white paper "Making Youth Employment Work: Essential Elements for a Successful Strategy." Through in-depth interviews and research, we’ve identified common barriers that block many employers from developing a business-focused youth talent pipeline, and we offer practical strategies that successful companies are using to overcome such barriers.

Read the full article about youth employment by Susan Wolf Ditkoff, Willa Seldon, and Diann Dani at Bridgespan Group.