Research: Early Careers and Skills: Equipping the Workforce for What’s Next

Early careers is becoming one of the defining workforce challenges for employers. Advances in AI, shifting workforce needs and increasing pressure on employers are reshaping what organisations expect from entry-level talent and how future capability is developed. This research shows that employers remain committed to investing in early careers while rethinking the pathways, capabilities and support needed for long-term success.

About the Report

Produced by Corporate Research Forum in partnership with BPP and with additional commentary from The Oxford Group, this report combines original survey data from more than 500 HR, Talent, Learning, and Early Careers professionals with employer interviews and wider labour market evidence. It explores how organisations can redesign their strategies for attracting, developing, and retaining early career talent in a changing world of work. The report concludes with CRF’s practical framework for building an effective early careers system that supports both organisational performance and long-term workforce capability.

Key Insights

• Why the early careers market is changing and what the evidence says about employer demand.
• How AI is reshaping entry-level work and the capabilities organisations increasingly value.
• Why employers are placing greater emphasis on communication, judgment, adaptability, and other durable human capabilities.
• How employers, education providers, and government can work together to strengthen the transition from education into work.
• A practical six-part framework for designing, evaluating, and improving your organisation’s early careers strategy.

Related Learning Programme

Future-Ready Talent Management: Adapting Approaches to a New Reality
17-19 November 2026 | Online
CRF Member: £1,750 (+VAT)
Non-Members: £2,625 (+VAT)

This learning programme equips participants to rethink talent strategy for a more uncertain world where many traditional talent approaches may no longer fully reflect today’s context. Through CRF’s research, case studies, expert input, and peer discussion, participants will explore how to build more adaptive, business-aligned approaches to talent that improve outcomes for both people and the organisation.

Related Content

• Research Preview: Early Careers and Skills: Equipping the Workforce for What’s Next
• Article: What leaders are saying about Early Careers and Skills
• Early Careers: The Market Is Cooling Not Collapsing
• Research Report: Creating an Effective Learning Ecosystem in the Gulf