Muse supports new guide to the skills young people need
10.11.26 4 min read
We are supporting the launch of The North West Star, a new guide from the North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT), produced in partnership with Skills England. It sets out what employers look for in people starting their careers.
Our Managing Director, Phil Mayall, has been a member of the NWBLT since June 2024. He has chosen to champion curiosity and resilience, one of the seven attributes in the guide.
The guide comes as more young people across the North West are not in education, employment or training. Employers tell the NWBLT they find it harder to connect with emerging talent and to spot the right skills.
Drawing on workshops with its members, the guide sets out a common understanding of what good looks like for people starting out. It is meant for employers, educators and skills providers to use together.
What the guide says
The guide describes people who may not arrive with every technical skill, but have the behaviours and attitudes to learn and contribute. It is written for everyone starting out, from school and college leavers to people returning to work.
It sets out seven attributes:
-Purpose and professionalism
-Reliability and accountability
-Communication and interpersonal skills
-Digital and AI fluency
-Curiosity and resilience
-Emotional intelligence and self-awareness
-Initiative and problem solving
It also looks at artificial intelligence. It finds that AI literacy should sit alongside critical thinking, judgement and communication.
What it asks of employers
The guide sets out what educators and employers should each do, and what they can do together. For employers, that includes writing job descriptions from the candidate’s point of view and offering placements, shadowing and project-based experience. It also includes supporting early-career colleagues with feedback and mentoring.
It closes by asking employers whether their job descriptions, application forms and interview questions test for the attributes they say matter most.
Supporting young people at Muse
The guide asks employers to offer more time in the workplace and to support early careers deliberately. Both are already part of how we work.
For Raheim Clemetson, two weeks of work experience led to an apprenticeship in the Muse Academy. He is now studying for a degree at the University of Salford while working on the regeneration of Prestwich town centre. Jadon Dooley started with us as a T-Level student through our partnership with Oldham College, then returned to a full-time role. He now works on the transformation of Oldham town centre, in his hometown. You can read about their journeys here.
Jadon Dooley, Trainee Project Manager at Muse
Those routes are open to others too, with work experience available at our offices in Birmingham, Leeds, London and Manchester. Through ECF, our partnership with Homes England and L&G, we have also created 38 apprenticeships for local people in Canning Town.
Phil Mayall, Managing Director at Muse, said:
“It was great to see the North West Business Leadership Team publish The North West Star this week, a new report with Skills England on what employers look for in people starting their careers.
“I’ve been a member of the NWBLT since 2024 and have chosen to champion curiosity and resilience, one of the report’s seven attributes.
“The report asks employers to give young people more time in the workplace and to support them early in their careers. It’s something we take seriously at Muse, through work experience, apprenticeships, and T-Level placements.
“Thank you to the whole NWBLT team for bringing the report together.”