Creating more diverse workforce can only be good for business - Kerry Anderson

Many of us are still deciding what we want to be when we ‘grow up’. Yet, as a society, we ask school leavers at the age of 16 or 17 to do just that: to decide what industry or career they want to work in, with little acknowledgment for the fact that their path will inevitably change course.

Kerry Anderson, founder of Brave Strong Beautiful

For young people, entering the world of work for the first time can often be a challenging and daunting experience, particularly for anyone lacking support and facing difficulties at home. They leave the familiar, supportive environment of school behind as they start a new chapter in a workplace with an entirely different structure and culture.

As employers, we already have a duty of care for our employees but more so than ever, it is incumbent on businesses to help bridge the gap between school and work by offering the type of support that vulnerable young adults require – going far beyond practical work experience.

There is a real opportunity to look at the world of work differently, supporting young people holistically. Rather than viewing recruitment as simply filling vacant positions, we should look at it as a chance to shape someone’s first experiences of working life.

Kerry Anderson delivering training with young hairdressing students.

For some young people, work experience could offer a much-needed chance to speak to an impartial adult about their best next steps and future career path, which ultimately might even mean moving into another industry from the one they start in. For an employer, it’s about viewing this as a positive outcome regardless, and grasping the opportunity to help young people along the way, whether they stay on or not.

Our goal at Brave Strong Beautiful is to offer meaningful employment opportunities for young people. Established as Scotland’s only hairdressing social enterprise – with salons in Restalrig and Lothian Road, Edinburgh – we can truly focus on increasing our impact within the communities we operate in. In just three years, the business has scaled quickly, and our workforce has more than trebled, partly as a result of the way we bring people in, train them and offer additional support.

Soft skills such as communication and teamwork are just as important for us as the technical side of hairdressing, and we help the team to build confidence and work on their self-esteem, among other factors. For instance, we offer access to regular counselling sessions for those who might need it, and happily signpost our people to additional support avenues or services as required.

As the social enterprise grows and expands, hopefully to a third location later this year, our approach to employment will continue to reflect our ethos and values, supporting young people in the community. I recently took part in two core coaching programmes run by Social Investment Scotland (SIS) – Ambitions and the SIS Retail Academy – both of which offered an opportunity to tap into the knowledge and experiences of fellow entrepreneurs in Scotland’s social enterprise sector.

Kerry Anderson with some of the trainees.

The social enterprise model can unlock the opportunity to do things differently. In our case, this is employment – and for every industry, it’s time to start thinking more holistically about entry-level roles and work experience for young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Creating a more diverse workforce, representative of the world we live in, can only be good for business, the economy and society at large.

Kerry Anderson, founder of Brave Strong Beautiful