Schoolchildren call for more guidance on stress and mental health

Schoolchildren call for more guidance on stress and mental health

For the BBC’s Teen Summit, Radio 5 Live surveyed 2,000 13 to 18 year-olds about the world of work and the kinds of help they believed they needed to secure a job.

The biggest need was found to be more work experience opportunities before leaving full-time education (44%). Close behind was the need for schools to give them more skills and guidance around stress and mental health strategies (39%).

Fear of work

Many of the teenagers involved in the study talked about their worries when it came to working: particularly around the demands of being in a workplace every day, working long hours, and having the communication skills to continually be dealing with people they didn’t know. They recognised that working life could test their mental health.

More opportunities were needed they said, to experience what working life was like while still at school, understand its different challenges and be better placed to make important life choices.

Supporting parents and young people

“This is already an issue for today’s workforce,” said EAPA UK chair, Karl Bennett. “Our report, Focusing on the Job: EAPA and Keeping Britain Working, identified concern about children’s mental health as the third most common specific reason employees contact an EAP. Behind a young person who is struggling, there may also be a parent trying to manage that worry alongside their job.

“Employers should make sure working parents know that their EAP can support them with the emotional impact of concerns about their children. Helping parents feel listened to and better equipped to respond is an important part of supporting the workforce.

“We should also be giving young people practical tools to understand their emotions, manage everyday setbacks and know when and how to ask for help. That preparation needs to begin well before their first day at work.”

Open minds

“Young people are more conscious of mental health issues than ever before, and more willing to talk about them,” continued Bennett.

“Learning to manage the pressures that can come with a job is a necessary part of preparing teenagers for leaving full-time education. We should take their concerns seriously while also showing them how good work can support their wellbeing, confidence and independence.

“Work can provide much more than an income. It can offer a sense of belonging and purpose, friendships, opportunities to develop and access to support through services such as EAPs.

“Employers have a part to play too. Meaningful work experience, supportive managers, clear expectations and a welcoming introduction to the workplace can help young people build confidence. Schools cannot prepare teenagers for every workplace challenge, and young people should not be expected to carry all the responsibility for adapting.

“The aim should be to help young people approach working life with confidence and an open mind, knowing that they can ask questions, talk about difficulties and access support. Preparing them for work must go hand in hand with creating workplaces where they can thrive.”