Understanding Gen Z: What Early Careers Really Want from Employers
We talk a lot about what employers want from junior talent - but how often do we flip the script and ask what they're looking for from us?
Gen Z and Gen Alpha are entering the workforce with different expectations than previous generations. They care about purpose, progression, and feeling like their work actually matters. But they're also facing a job market shaped by economic uncertainty, AI disruption, and shifting social values. And many employers are still figuring out how to attract, develop, and retain this talent without falling into the trap of performative gestures or unsustainable promises.
The reality is that getting early careers right isn't just about filling entry-level roles. It's about building a pipeline of talent who will stay, grow, and contribute to your organisation for years to come. But to do that, we need to understand what they actually value, and not what we assume they want.
Thomas Freeman, Founder and Managing Director of Sanctuary Graduates, recently surveyed hundreds of students to understand what they're really looking for from employers. In this session, he'll share those insights alongside his decades of experience helping companies build stronger early careers programmes.
We'll discuss what Gen Z and Gen Alpha genuinely prioritise, how learning and development can become a genuine retention tool, what it takes to demonstrate real commitment to diversity and social mobility, how to balance social purpose with commercial realities, and what a truly effective early careers experience would look like if we designed it from scratch.
This is for:
Talent and early careers leaders building graduate and apprenticeship programmes
Hiring managers trying to attract and retain junior talent
L&D professionals designing development experiences for early careers
Founders and executives rethinking how their organisation approaches entry-level hiring
About Thomas: Thomas Freeman is Founder and Managing Director of Sanctuary Graduates, where he helps companies find and develop the best early career talent. With decades of experience supporting students into employment, he brings both data-driven insights and practical expertise to understanding what the next generation of workers really needs.
About Kokoon: Kokoon is a learning companion that delivers personalised soft skills development for early career talent. Each learner gets a unique journey tailored to their role and skill gaps, applying what they learn through real workplace scenarios—all delivered in the flow of work. Try for free at www.wearekokoon.com