Handing down the ladder

The famous Catch-22 situation – you need a job to get experience, but can’t get a job without experience – is still strong in occupational safety and health (OSH).

If you read my last blog on the complex entry routes into the profession, I shared some of the barriers facing our early careerists. One of these was the lack of truly entry-level roles. So how can we change this?

It’s not as easy as we might hope to bring early-careerists into the workplace. The resources and capacity it takes to find, initiate, develop and pay them are all important factors. In OSH especially, the reality of the risk or security of the workplace can also add complications. That’s why it’s important to scale work experience to what you can reasonably do, so it is successful.

The benefits of work experience have long been proven, and they often outweigh any challenges. Individuals gain exposure to the realities of their chosen career, seeing the path and possibilities grow before them.

Companies can find local talent, hear the views and ideas of new people, and begin to build their pipeline or plug their skills gaps. Existing staff are also upskilled in the process as they become involved with developing new workers.

It raises the profile of your organisation and contributes to your environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals through community engagement and social impact.

Bridge the gap

Having a bottleneck into OSH has significant impacts on the future of the profession. In countries where a combination of qualification and experience are required to practice (for example, Green Book holder in Malaysia, Registered Safety Officers in Hong Kong), the impact is even greater.

So how can IOSH, its members and volunteers help to bridge this gap?

1. We’ve introduced a new option on IOSH Jobs to advertise work experience opportunities, free of charge. Check out our best practice guide (PDF) on how to create and advertise opportunities, as well as definitions of the different kinds of work experiences. This platform is suited to those who want to cast the net wide in your region, keep costs down, and offer opportunities to Student or Affiliate members that need support.
2. Want to target a younger audience? Depending on your country and region, there are local organisations that can connect employers to local schools and colleges. Examples include:
   Careers and Enterprise Company, England
   Skills Development Scotland
   Qatar Career Development Center.
3. Can’t get company approval to bring people into the work environment? Try companies like Speakers for Schools and offer a talk in your local area.