As we mark World Youth Skills Day this month, attention turns to one of the most urgent challenges facing the UK workforce: ensuring young people are equipped with the right skills to thrive in a rapidly evolving job market.

With NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) rates continuing to rise and the national skills gap widening, the need to empower UK youth has never been more critical. Employers across multiple sectors – from health and social care to hospitality and tourism – report growing difficulties in finding candidates with the practical, transferable skills they need. This disconnect between education and employment readiness not only hampers productivity but also risks leaving a generation behind.

While the global job market has been and continues to be transformed by automation and AI, digital skills and technical know-how are, in isolation, not enough. When a useful new tech tool arrives, organisations need people in their workforce with human-centric skills to adequately leverage it. Thus, employers are increasingly seeking individuals who can adapt, empathise, and communicate effectively – soft skills that were maybe once undervalued, but are now indispensable.

In fact, the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 reveals that:

• Analytical thinking remains the top core skill for employers, followed by resilience, flexibility, and agility.
• Service orientation and customer service are among the fastest-growing skills globally.
• Human-centred, interpersonal abilities – such as communication, empathy, and adaptability – are increasingly valuable across all sectors, especially in healthcare, hospitality, retail, and tourism.

At People 1st International, we believe this signals an opportunity: with strategic, skills-focused intervention, young people can develop the “human superpowers” needed by employers – whilst also driving inclusive economic growth.

To support this theory, we’ve explored the power of skills-based learning with WorldHost, a People 1st International licenced product and globally recognised customer service training programme that equips individuals with skills aligned to both industry need and future job market trends.

Fife College: Strengthening local business and skills pipelines

In partnership with Fife Tourism Partnership and Fife Council, Fife College has delivered WorldHost to not only train future talent in the principles of service excellence, but to upskill the staff of local businesses across the tourism sector, such as staff from golf clubs, cruise liners, and cultural museums.

This has developed people, not just workers, and thus the whole community. Fife College has reported:

• Enhanced staff motivation, confidence, and communication.
• Stronger links between employers, local authorities, and colleges.
• Plans to expand the programme into local high schools, ensuring earlier access to critical customer service skills.

“It’s really energised those attending [the training] to deliver the highest quality welcome and level of service, which we know is so important for growth of the local tourism industry. The programme can be delivered to employers, volunteers, college students and even local schools – it’s a win-win.” — Fiona McLeod, Approved WorldHost Trainer, Fife College

West Suffolk College: Upskilling today’s workforce and tomorrow’s talent

Through regional partnerships, West Suffolk College has delivered WorldHost to businesses such as Bedford Lodge Hotel and Bury St. Edmunds Cathedral, and embedded the programme into courses for hospitality, hairdressing, and business students.

The results make for clear employability pathways and enhance best practice:

• A curriculum aligned with industry needs, which has fostered industry collaborations.
• Students leaving with lifelong, transferable skills, which bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world employment.
• Staff recognition of the entire customer journey, from front-of-house to behind-the-scenes roles.

In raising awareness of and preparing UK youth for the service-focused, global future of work, we can build a more resilient visitor and service economy, powered by confident, capable staff. It’s a model that aligns perfectly with the World Economic Forum’s vision for a future-ready, inclusive workforce, where human-centric skills are valued alongside technical capabilities.

Celebrating real-world learning through competition

People 1st International is also proud to sponsor the AA College Restaurant of the Year Award, developed in partnership with the AA to recognise accredited colleges within the AA College Rosette Scheme that have demonstrated outstanding achievements in a realistic working environment. First awarded in 2016, the initiative celebrates the importance of delivering high standards of service and professionalism within college-run restaurants, giving students the chance to apply their learning in real-world conditions.

Competitions like this provide invaluable experience of the challenges and rewards that come with performing under pressure, while developing essential soft skills such as resilience, teamwork, adaptability, and confident communication – all of which are critical in hospitality careers.

We heard from two of the college finalists for the 2025 award on how participation helps bridge the gap between education and employment readiness:

“Recognition through the AA College Restaurant of the Year Awards helps shine a light on the importance of skills development in hospitality, reinforcing our commitment to preparing young people for meaningful careers and celebrating the impact of hands-on learning, industry engagement, and real-world restaurant experience.” — Paul Carne, Curriculum Area Manager for Hospitality, Exeter College

“Participating in this competition has given me the confidence I need to move forward in the hospitality industry. It’s not only helped me grow personally but has also added a valuable achievement to my CV — something that will support my future university applications and job prospects.” — Euan Pitts-Cleaver, Level 2 Hospitality and Catering student, Cardiff and Vale College

These experiences extend beyond the classroom, offering young people a platform to shine, and employers a first-hand glimpse of emerging talent equipped with the skills the industry needs.

Reframe soft skills as core skills

No matter how the world of work changes, the human touch remains irreplaceable, which is why – to best prepare youth for employability – we need:

• Government and local authority investment in employer-led training.
• Colleges and training providers to embed service skills into vocational routes.
• Employers to co-deliver and co-develop training that reflects real service needs.
• Funders to support inclusive delivery models that reach young people most at risk of disengagement.

With service orientation rapidly rising as a skill of the future – and thousands of young people still out of work or education – programmes like WorldHost and competitions such as the AA College Restaurant of the Year Award are more than just training or recognition; they’re opportunity engines. These initiatives not only equip young people with the human-centric skills employers demand but also the confidence, experience, and real-world readiness needed to succeed. Service excellence is no longer just good business – it’s good policy. It supports youth employability, strengthens communities, and builds long-term economic resilience.

The future of work is human. The future of inclusion is service-led. Let’s train for it – and invest in it – together.

Embed first-class customer service training into future-proofing your students or upskill current employees to enhance guest experience. WorldHost training delivers measurable impact, anticipates future challenges, and takes a human-centric approach through various solutions and bespoke programmes.