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Building a Better Future for our Young People

News Article

06/11/2012

Better Future

Skills, Work & Education

On Tuesday 20 November local education, skills and work providers came together to identify ways of working together to build a better future for the young people of Reading.

The event itself included an update on the local economic picture, together with the latest information on proposed development locally.  There wasa presentation on local partnership work with O2 on the youth employment agenda, and some of Reading’s young unemployed talked about the barriers they face to finding jobs.

During the event individuals and organisations got together to discuss what can be done in the future to help create the young people of Reading get into the workforce and during these discussions the following were pledged;

Careers Advice

  • Provide job trials/work experience – RBC
  • Set up Careers network for school careers leads – Raising Participation Partnerships
  • Set up a recruitment workshop – Babcock.
  • Reading Small business Federation will publicise the RBC/O2 app.

Apprenticeships

  • FD Construction Solutions will take on two apprentices in the next two years.
  • Ben Cross will take apprenticeships to the next meeting and consider how to raise awareness of apprenticeships in VCS sector.
  • Reading Buses and RBC will act as ambassadors for apprenticeships.

Work Experience

  • Thames Water will review their work experience programme.
  • RBC, Oracle, MAPIS, Princes’ Trust, Reading University will provide work experience placements.

Entrepreneurship

  • Reading UK CIC will investigate setting up a Young Entrepreneur start-up event.
  • CBEBP will work with partners willing to take forward the enterprise agenda for young people.
  • RVA will promote the O2 Think Big grants.
  • Transition Town Reading will among other things work on creating jobs in draught proofing houses and reducing waste
  • JCI Reading will be available as a resource to young people

Coaching

  • Offline help & support to mentors (Karyn from buckproject)
  • Help with CVs & applications (Marion from citylifecp)
  • Mentor at Connexions
  • Support young people with interview skills (Reading Col)
  • Work placements at O2 – CV writing
  • Keep it TOP Council priority – make space available to network – RBC
  • Promote mentoring schemes, especially in schools.  Raising Participation Partnership 

Breaking Down Barriers

  • Job Deal work alongside Reading Prison and Reading Probation and are committed to removing barriers and supporting young offenders into employment with the ultimate aims of reducing re-offending and re-building lives.

Supported Employment

  • Graft will extend in-work support to other groups of young people. We have a weekly job club for clients with LD, autism, aspergers etc. We are looking at other funding opportunities to extend the reach of this programme to more people
  • RBC will commission a supported employment service to fill the gap for people with learning disabilities which includes young people.
  • RBC will provide joined up services for children and adults which are outcomes based. Children’s outcomes are measured against the Young People’s plan


Other support which organisations can pledge to deliver:

Work experience

  • Challenge existing perception
  • Continue to share experiences
  • Communicate and demonstrate ease of process
  • Communication with and through schools
  • Better communications through O2 app
  • Boosting the Local economy
  • Help young people to develop life skills
  • More voluntary opportunities

Mentoring

  • Communicating roles and pathways
  • Raising aspirations in young people
  • Support small businesses to employ young people

Entrepreneurship

  • Education – school mentoring support to help young people understand how to make their impact.
  • Bring NEETS together with business to improve confidence.

Other things young people group would like to see…

  • Clarify requirements for jobs
  • Outreach support for YP’s
  • Face to face communication to build work relationships
  • All employers undertake to provide interview feedback to all candidates.
  • Employers should look beyond qualifications…..young people often have expertise in being creative, efficient, ability to think outside of the box, to use technology effectively is not measured by the number and/or level of qualification.

Do you or your organisation want to pledge your support?  If so let us know how?

You can follow the conversation on Twitter by using #betterfuture and #rdg