Webinar: Why young people aren't choosing your sector and what actually changes their minds by Springpod

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The challenge

61% of young people surveyed had already formed views on which careers were or weren't for them by 14. The most common barrier wasn't qualifications or awareness - it was "it doesn't feel like it's for someone like me."

This session is for leaders working across HR, early careers, employer brand and social value who want to understand where that gap comes from and how to close it.

You'll hear directly from senior HR, Talent and Social Value leaders who have faced these challenges and adapted their approach, alongside the student perspective from two angles: what young people told us in our pre-event survey and from Cheyanne, a degree apprentice at JLL.

All registrants will receive a copy of the survey results combined with live poll responses from the room.

What you'll learn

When young people form career opinions and what that means for your outreach and roadmap
What seasoned HR, Talent and Social Value Leaders tried, what didn't work and what shifted perception at scale
What young people say they actually need to see, hear and experience before a career feels relevant to them

Meet the Panel

Alex Dimsdale

Multi-Property Director of Human Resources at Marriott International

Alex is a passionate, driven and caring HR professional with nearly 30 years of human resources experience, having operated in hotels both in London and internationally. Alex is an HR Generalist with a particular interest in employee relations, coaching, mediation and business psychology, as he is a certified Myers Briggs practitioner.

Alex graduated from Oxford Brookes University and proceeded to develop his career in Human Resources by opening two 5-star hotels in London. With 24 years of HR Generalist leadership roles with Marriott International, Alex is currently Multi-Property Director of Human Resources for the Aloft London Excel, London Marriott Hotel Canary Wharf and Sheraton Grand London Park Lane.

Sybil Taunton

Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

Sybil is the Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), where she is responsible for the development and delivery of the RICS DEI strategy for roughly 700 employees and more than
140,000 surveying professionals globally. RICS aims to be an accountable and influential leader, regulator and employer that understands and adapts to global cultures and the wealth of experience that diversity brings whilst ensuring that RICS employees, members and firms value and embrace a culture of respect and belonging.

Michael Rowe

Experience Manager @ Sky

Michael is the founder of Mickey Talks Jobs, a platform created to help young people find their way to work that’s right for them, faster. The mission is simple: to give the next generation the honest, practical career insight many of us wish we’d had when we were starting out. In his day job, Michael works as an Experience Manager at Sky and brings over 20 years’ experience in recruitment. Having spent two decades watching people navigate career decisions, often with more trial and error than they needed, he’s now focused on helping young people make more informed choices and move towards career satisfaction with greater confidence.

Cheyanne Thompson

Commercial Real Estate Apprentice Surveyor at JLL

Cheyanne Thompson is a fourth-year degree apprentice at JLL, currently working towards becoming a RICS qualified Chartered Surveyor. Before joining JLL, Cheyanne was exploring apprenticeship opportunities across various industries. Like many school leavers, she knew she wanted practical, hands-on experience rather than a traditional university route, but wasn't sure how to access it or which sector would be the right fit.

Passionate about opening doors for others, Cheyanne founded and leads JLL's Apprentice Network. She's committed to raising awareness about apprenticeships as a viable and valuable alternative pathway into professional careers, helping others discover opportunities they might not have known existed, just as she once did.

Julia Hellyer

Head of Social Value at Bowmer and Kirkland

Julia has 20 years’ experience in corporate responsibility (CR) across various industries – construction, utilities, telecommunication and financial – and continents – Europe, Australia and North America. Her CR knowledge ranges from developing strategies, policies and programmes to managing FTSE100 CR reporting, and everything in between.

In 2022, she progressed to Group Social Value Manager, initially tasked with establishing a social value strategy and team, and more recently leading the Group’s responsible business agenda including human rights and Diversity & Inclusion.

Jodie Grove

Account Director @ Springpod

Jodie is an Account Manager at Springpod with over 15 years of experience across Talent Acquisition, Early Careers, and HR Tech. Having partnered with organisations including Amazon, Rolls-Royce, Linklaters, and Deloitte, she has developed expertise in recruitment, employer branding, candidate engagement, and early careers strategy.

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