A vision for good work

Summary

On 15 July 2024, a group of eight young people, aged 18-25, came together at Westminster Kingsway College to share their experiences and ideas about what ‘good work’ means to them.

Young people, especially those who from disadvantaged, marginalised and under-represented backgrounds are more likely to be in low-paid and unstable work than their peers. This workshop was the final stage of a project to create a definition of good work in the words of those most affected by unequal access to it.

These young people told us about how good work feels, what they expect from employers and what they want to be able to offer and achieve. Some had positive experiences of the world of work; others spoke of experiencing discrimination, poor management and a lack of support. They were all united in wanting to be supported and enabled to do great things for themselves and their employers.

This short paper summarises these discussions and shared definition, keeping as closely as possible to the language young people used to describe their ideas and experiences.