Workstyle Working: A New Pathway Into Work for Young People?

Right now, many young people in the UK feel locked out of work.

Applications met with silence.

Or ‘insufficient experience’.

You look at jobs in other cities but cannot afford to move. You start to question your own ability.

But what if the structure of work is changing in ways that create new openings?

Workstyle working, which gives people more control over where, when and how they work, is not just a workplace trend. For young people, it could be a practical route into employment.

Expanding Your Access

In the past, your location often defined your opportunity. If you did not live near a major economic centre, your options were limited.

Today, many roles are remote or hybrid. That means your talent is no longer confined to your postcode.

If you build digital skills, communication capability and self management habits, you can compete for roles across the country, sometimes across the world. Geography becomes less of a gatekeeper.

For a young person who cannot relocate, this shift matters.

Building Experience Differently

One of the biggest frustrations is the experience trap. You need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience.

Workstyle environments are often more open to project work, freelance assignments, short term contracts and portfolio careers. That creates alternative entry points.

You might start with:

• A freelance project for a small business

• A short contract through a digital platform

• A remote internship

• Supporting a founder or small team part time

Instead of waiting for a perfect permanent role, you build evidence of capability step by step. Each project becomes proof and experience becomes something you assemble, not something you wait to be given.

Turning Skills Into Visibility

In flexible work environments like these, visibility often comes through outputs. That means what you create matters.

Young people can use this to their advantage by:

• Building online portfolios

• Sharing projects publicly

• Developing practical digital skills

• Completing short, targeted courses

If you can demonstrate what you can do, you are less dependent on someone taking a chance based on your CV alone.

Work becomes more about your contribution of value than your age.

Protecting Your Wellbeing

Searching for work can damage confidence. Rejection feels personal and the future can feel uncertain.

Autonomy helps. When you take control of your working pattern and environment, stress reduces and motivation increases. Research consistently links autonomy to stronger wellbeing and performance.

As you enter the workforce, choosing roles that trust you to retain such control can support your development rather than drain it.

The Responsibility That Comes With Freedom

Workstyle working does require maturity. Remote and flexible roles demand the skills of independence, specifically being able to balance being dependable to others while also being responsible to yourself. These are skills that can be learned. Young people who intentionally develop these skills position themselves strongly in a more autonomous labour market.

The skills of being responsible to yourself include Self-Understanding, Self-Motivation, Self-Confidence, Self-Management, Self-Improvement

Being dependable to others requires skills of Commitment, Communication, Cooperation, Collaboration, Connection

For more information about these skills and how to develop them via the Workstyle Academy, contact me directly at alex@workstyle.org.uk

Unlocking the Pathway

Workstyle working will not solve youth unemployment on its own. But it does create cracks in a previously rigid system. It widens access beyond geography, allows experience to be built in smaller pieces and rewards visible capability.

For young people who feel excluded, this is not about waiting for employers to redesign the system. It is about recognising where the system is already shifting and stepping into the emerging opportunities.

The future of work may be uncertain. But it is also more flexible than the past. And flexibility, used well, can become your entry point.