One Opportunity Can Change a Young Person’s Future: Why Tracy Believe's Businesses Have More to Gain than Lose

By Tracy Morgan, Managing Partner at JR Levins Solicitors

After reading a recent BBC article on the difficulties young people are facing in today’s job market (read it here), I felt it was important to share a positive perspective on the issue. Although the situation is challenging, there is an opportunity here for both young people and employers.

As Managing Partner at JR Levins, I have seen first-hand how much value can come from giving a young person the chance to enter a real working environment, contribute properly and grow in confidence. We have seen the benefits of this arrangement ourselves through our engagement with Liverpool John Moores University and Unitemps internships programme. This isn’t a charity gesture, but one that has provided the firm with new perspectives, energy, and ideas.

At a time when many young people are finding it harder to secure their first meaningful role, work experience, internships, apprenticeships and entry-level opportunities can make a significant difference. However, what is often overlooked is how much businesses themselves can gain when they are willing to give someone that chance. I do not believe every opportunity needs to be part of a large formal scheme, nor does every business need to have everything perfectly in place from day one, but where there is capacity to support someone properly, the rewards can be significant.

At JR Levins, Ruby Jordan first joined the firm through a funded 100-hour marketing internship. At that stage, we had never employed a dedicated in-house marketing professional, which meant Ruby was not entering an established department with existing systems and a list of routine tasks waiting for her. Instead, we trusted Ruby’s knowledge and gave her genuine responsibility from the outset, which not only allowed her to apply what she had learned in a real workplace, but also gave us the chance to dip our toe into marketing for the first time and understand the value it could bring to the firm.

The internship later led to Ruby remaining with us and progressing to Marketing Coordinator, and her contribution has helped us build a more consistent and structured approach to marketing across the organisation. For Ruby, the opportunity provided real workplace experience and a clearer direction; for the firm, it created additional capacity, introduced new ideas and helped us see the longer-term value of developing a dedicated marketing function.

Ruby said:

“When I finished university, I felt quite lost and didn’t really know what direction I wanted to take. Like many graduates, I had qualifications but still needed somebody to give me the opportunity to apply what I had learned in a real workplace.

“JR Levins never made me feel like I was just the intern. They trusted me with real responsibility and helped me believe in my own ability at a time when I did not always believe in it myself.

“Without the funded placement through LJMU and Unitemps, I would not have secured my role at JR Levins. That first opportunity gave me experience, confidence and a direction.

“It’s really disheartening that so many people my age are struggling to get their foot in the door, especially when the young people I know are hardworking, pragmatic and determined to build a secure future.

“Employers often ask for experience, but that experience has to start somewhere. Businesses need to be willing to trust young professionals and give us the chance to show what we can do.”

Ruby’s contribution was recognised when she was named Intern of the Year at the 2026 Unitemps Awards. JR Levins was also named Highly Commended for Employer of the Year, recognising the firm’s support for early-career development.

For me, this experience has reinforced the belief that giving a young person an opportunity should not be seen as a favour or a one-way act of support, but as a practical business decision that can bring long-term value when it is approached properly. Young people often bring a different way of thinking, particularly around digital communication, social media, technology, audience behaviour and the expectations of the next generation of clients, customers and colleagues. They ask questions that can challenge outdated processes, notice gaps that established teams may have learned to work around, and bring curiosity into areas that may otherwise be done simply because “that’s how it has always been done”.

The current job market is undeniably difficult for many young people, particularly those trying to move from education into employment, where the familiar “need experience to get experience” cycle can quickly become discouraging. According to the Office for National Statistics, there were an estimated 1.012 million young people aged 16 to 24 in the UK not in education, employment or training between January and March 2026, representing 13.5% of that age group. Those figures are concerning, but they also show why meaningful employer involvement matters, especially when young people are capable, motivated and ready to learn, but need someone to open the door.

There is also a strong case for seeing early-career opportunities as part of long-term workforce development. Many businesses talk about skills gaps, recruitment challenges and the difficulty of finding people who understand their culture, but one of the most effective ways to address this is to help develop people from the beginning. By giving young people structured, meaningful work, businesses have the chance to shape talent early, build loyalty, strengthen internal processes and create a pipeline of people who understand not only the tasks required, but the values, standards and expectations of the organisation.

The key, in my view, is making the opportunity meaningful. Young people do not benefit fully from being given token tasks, and businesses will not see the full return if early-career roles are treated as an afterthought. The strongest outcomes come when young people are trusted with responsibility, given clear guidance, encouraged to ask questions and allowed to see how their work contributes to the wider organisation.

The job market may be difficult, and businesses are facing pressures of their own, but this is exactly why practical action matters. Where a business has the capacity to offer a real opportunity, even on a small scale, there is far more to be gained than lost.

14th August 2026

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