What makes supervision successful for young workers: Core skills and effective training for supervisors

Employers report it can be a challenge to attract and retain young workers, and young workers state that one of the reasons they leave a job is their experiences with workplace supervisors. From the perspective of employers, this situation is particularly problematic given the tight labour market and skills shortages.

Supervisors require specific skills and knowledge to do their job and to work successfully with young employees. Supported with effective training and development, the capacity and performance of supervisors could be improved. And with better supervision, young workers will have more positive workplace experiences, which may improve the problem of attraction and retention.

This project explored relevant academic and non-academic materials to take a closer look at the core skills workplace supervisors require to perform their role, specifically as it relates to the supervision of young workers. It also explored relevant literature on supervisor training to understand what ‘good’ training looks like and how to evaluate training effectiveness.  Findings will be useful to those involved in designing, sourcing or organising supervisor training.