Council ‘not tapping into younger workforce’ as it aims to attract 16 to 24-year olds

Peterborough City Council (PCC) hopes to attract more 16 to 24-year-olds into its workforce.

Just three per cent of the local authority’s staff are in this age category, employment figures show.

The same figure (3%) also applies to the over-65s, while 80 per cent are aged 35 to 64.

Sarah Spendelow, head of ‘people and development’ at PCC, says the council should try to appeal more to youngsters.

“Age 16-24 is a key concern because we’re not tapping into a younger workforce,” she said. I think there’s many reasons for that; part of it is probably the local authority’s reputation. We need to be working more closely with schools, colleges and universities to promote a career in local government.”

She added that the council is investing in its recruitment practices, having added a new manager to oversee it, and that she’d like to see a review carried out.

A report on PCC’s workforce says many council roles require experience, technical expertise and qualifications that young people may not yet have, but that it hopes to drive up recruitment, particularly in areas such as social work, through apprenticeships.

Hiring managers aren’t aware of personal information of candidates during the earlier stages of the recruitment process, it adds, including their name.

The report also shows that 74 per cent of PCC’s workforce of 1,281 staff is female, while 13 per cent have an ethnicity other than white.

Six per cent have a sexuality other than heterosexual and four per cent have a disability.

However, because this data is self-reported, the true figures may be slightly different.