How to prepare young people with the skills for an AI workplace 

World Youth Skills Day falls on the 15th July each year. It was first declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014 to mark the importance of equipping young people with the skills they need to succeed in employment. It remains an opportunity for those across education, business, governments and young people themselves to discuss and take action to support the skills development of the next generation of workers.  

The theme for World Youth Day 2025 focuses on youth empowerment through AI and digital skills. This topic is a timely one as the world of work continues to be shaped by AI tools and technologies. According to the 2025 Hays Employment Trends – Spring Update, more than half (56%) of organisations are currently recommending the use of AI tools in the workplace, a figure that has risen from 39% who said the same in 2024.  

AI is also having an impact on youth employment. According to research by Adzuna, vacancies for entry-level jobs in the UK have dropped by almost a third since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022.  

With this in mind, what steps can organisations take to support young people in developing the future-ready skills they need to make an impact in their careers? 

Why do young people need to be upskilled in AI?  

AI offers many positive outcomes to organisations. According to our 2025 Salary & Recruiting Trends Guide, the top benefits of using AI in the workplace include increased productivity and efficiency (58%), support in data analysis (44%) and greater creativity and idea generation (40%). There’s no doubt that AI will continue to shape the workplace for many years to come.  

Skills gaps are prevalent though – our 2025 Employment Trends – Spring Update research shows that almost four in ten employers don’t have access to the right skills to make the best use of AI. Despite this, 85% of professionals say they haven’t received any training or support from their employer to adopt AI technologies in the workplace.  

Work has already begun in closing this skills gap. In 2024, the Isle of Man launched a programme to upskill residents in using AI, and more recently, the UK Government announced a £187 million investment in a national skills programme designed to bring digital skills and AI learning into classrooms and communities. However, to truly set young people up for success, a collaborative effort is needed across all facets of the community.  

What steps can organisations take to support youth skills development? 

Preparations for future careers need to start early, and giving young people the opportunity to better understand the future career prospects available to them while in school can help to set them up for success.  

Hays offers a free teaching tool, Inspire, which provides pupils with insights into various employers, industries and career opportunities and how to be successful within them. We supply a series of lesson plans, which include valuable information about future career opportunities for primary and secondary school children. 

Employers also have a part to play, such as sharing insights with schools and higher education institutions regarding the most in-demand skills in their industries. This can help to shape the skills that young people develop whilst still in education.  

However, skills development doesn’t stop when someone leaves education – organisations should be offering and communicating their learning and development opportunities to new employees at the start of their careers. MyLearning is an example of a free online training platform that employees can use to upskill, or, alternatively, companies can use to build their own learning and development programmes.  

Whether you’re working in education or in another industry, I encourage you to take some time on World Youth Skills Day to reflect on the steps we can all take to close skills gaps and prepare the next generation for the future world of work.  

Explore MyLearning to upskill for free, with access to a range of courses across different experience levels.  

If you work in education, sign up to Inspire to access free lesson plans, advice and inspiration about different career paths for your pupils.