Scott Parkin FIEP FRSA’s Post

We handing out band-aids or preventing injuries from actually happening? In December 2023, a glaring statistic emerged: 8% of our youth aged 16-24 are navigating the challenging path of unemployment, a rate that doubles that of the general population. This translates to nearly 4.7 million young individuals. The support has significantly dwindled, with the WIOA Youth Program’s budget of $948 million in 2023 reaching merely 127,708 youth—a drop in the ocean of need. Check out what Jobs for the Future (JFF) recommends- 🎯 Boost Funding to the WIOA Youth Program: Ramping up the budget to $10 billion annually is not just an investment in numbers; it’s a bet on a brighter future. This substantial boost aims to extend the program's reach and impact, acknowledging the untapped potential that lies within millions of opportunity youth. 🎯 Expand the "Out-of-School" Definition: By adjusting our lens to include those teetering on the edge of disconnection, we open doors to a broader demographic, ensuring that our interventions are as inclusive and effective as possible. This is about not letting technicalities stand in the way of making a real difference. 🎯 Expanding Work-Based Learning: Transitioning from theory to practice through apprenticeships and on-the-job training provides a solid foundation for young people to build their futures. This approach is about embedding opportunity youth directly into the workforce, supported by the necessary guidance and resources to succeed. 🎯 Encourage Inclusive Employment Practices: Championing a workplace culture that values diversity and inclusion is not just good ethics; it’s good business. Promoting practices that prioritize accessibility and fairness ensures that all young people, regardless of their background, have the opportunity to contribute and thrive. It's time to pivot from acknowledging the problem to implementing solutions that prevent it. It’s a collective effort, requiring the commitment of businesses, policymakers, and communities. *Article in Comments #WorkforceDevelopment #WIOA

What can schools do to deliver Labour’s youth guarantee? Oli de Botton shares the findings of our largest-ever study on career readiness and highlights the role that schools and modern careers education can play in the government's new focus to Get Britain Working. Read the full story ⬇️ #CareersEducation #FutureSkills Schools Week Jean-Louis Dutaut

In today’s rapidly evolving #globaleconomy, the demand for #skilledlabor has intensified, making it essential for individuals and nations to prioritize the acquisition of relevant skills. #chambersofcommerce #commentary #education #economicdevelopment

Discover our in-depth guide for international students considering a Master's in Social Work in the UK. Let Edroots be your compass as you navigate through program requirements, university selections, and career pathways. Visit: https://lnkd.in/da4TyyRV . . #StudyAbroad #StudyInTheUK #MSWInUK #QualityEducation #OverseasEducation #Edroots #EdrootsInternational

upReach is proud to be shortlisted alongside the University of Exeter for the NEON Widening Access Initiative Award (Retention and Progression). Back in 2012, the University of Exeter Career Zone sponsored upReach's pilot cohort, creating ‘Exeter Rise’ - a programme of intensive 1-to-1 support for undergraduates from lower income backgrounds. Carefully designed to complement the university’s existing careers provision, for over a decade the programme has empowered undergraduates to achieve their full potential. In 2019, Exeter’s in-depth analysis found that 2016 & 2017 graduates supported by upReach achieved a Graduate Outcomes Score that was not only higher than undergraduates who were eligible for bursaries, but also their more affluent peers. This programme demonstrates the power of long-term partnership-based initiatives and it has been transformative in advancing social mobility and educational equality, and we are thrilled to see the recognition of our commitment to #TransformingSocialMobility! #NEONAwards #WideningAccess #SocialMobility #upReach #UniversityofExeter #partnership #employability

We welcome and congratulate all MPs that are now representing our areas across Scotland, Hertfordshire, Surrey and West London. In particular, with Labour's victory in the UK General Election, we look forward to seeing their policies implemented to support young people and communities across the UK. We welcome Labour's plans to break down barriers to opportunity by reforming our education systems and ensuring there's no class ceiling on young people's ambitions. For example, their proposed “youth guarantee” aims to provide access to training, apprenticeships, or support to find work for all 18- to 21-year-olds, alongside two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person and improve careers advice in schools and colleges. We hope this will extend to 16- to 24-year-olds due to the importance of early intervention. We also anticipate their efforts to support care-experienced young people by working with local governments and delivering a network of youth hubs to bring local services together to support teenagers. These Young Futures hubs will offer youth workers, mental health support, and careers advisers. We are also encouraged by Scottish Labour’s inclusion of its commitment to The Promise by widening participation to education and opportunities in wider life. We are looking forward to working with all elected representatives to continue to create an equality of educational outcomes, career opportunities and life chances for young people in the care experienced community and those facing significant instability. UK government Keir Starmer

As part of our Socio-Economic Development (SED) offering, SA Business School has developed a training programme focusing on helping youth build up their core employability skills, and which also includes professional CV creation, interview preparation and professional presentation. Our SED employability skills training offering is an invaluable opportunity for businesses to direct their SED spend to a much needed and life-changing training intervention to help unemployed youth prepare for the school-to-career transition. The focus is on developing the fundamental ‘employability’ skills that employers want, so that young people get to transition from unemployed to gainfully employed and growing careers! With SA’s unemployment rate currently sitting at 32.9% the majority of unemployed youth are struggling to secure job opportunities, and when they do, many are wholly unprepared. With little to no exposure to the world of work, very few young candidates have developed the core ‘employability skills’ that employers look for and demand, and that are needed to present themselves professionally. This is where your business SED spend gets to make a fundamental difference by providing the skills, training and mentorship needed for young people to gain access to the economy. Benefits: - Companies derive the maximum point allocation for SED towards their BBBEE scorecard. Companies are required to spend 1% of Net Profit After Tax (NPAT) on initiatives dedicated to Socio-Economic Development (SED). These may take the form of monetary or non-monetary contributions, but they must go to communities in which at least 75% of the beneficiaries are Black. - Beneficiaries are impact sourced and vetted by SA Business School. - Beneficiaries are trained at SA Business School’s state-of-the-art training facilities by accredited and qualified facilitators. - All supporting documents are supplied for B-BBEE Verification.   Download our SED leaflet here: https://lnkd.in/dQeqcVjF

We welcome the Labour Party’s recognition of the vital role of youth workers. Among the many pledges in the party’s newly published manifesto, Change, ahead of the general election on July 4, the Labour Party has promised a “new network of youth hubs”, alongside a vow to “increase the engagement of young people in our vibrant democracy, by giving 16- and 17-year-olds the right to vote in all elections”. Other youth and youth work-related highlights in the manifesto include commitments to: 👉 Establish a youth guarantee of access to training, an apprenticeship, or support to find work for all young people aged 18-21; 👉 Guarantee two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person and provide specialist careers advice; 👉 Create a new Young Futures programme with a network of hubs reaching every community. These hubs will have youth workers, mental health support workers, and careers advisers on hand to support young people’s mental health and avoid them being drawn into crime; 👉 Offer young people a pathway out of violence, placing youth workers and mentors in A&E units and Pupil Referral Units. “We are pleased Labour has recognised the importance of youth work and has made commitments to expand access to this life-changing support. Their promise to extend the right to vote to all 16 and 17 year olds is a welcome sign of trust and respect for young people.” - Jacob Diggle, UK Youth Chief Impact Officer. Read more here 👉 https://bit.ly/3yYF2M5

I’m honored/excited to have been part of the National Skills Coalition’s latest brief, "What Students Want: Students’ Experiences and the Implications of Enhanced Holistic Supports for Non-Degree Pathways."    In this report, I share my thoughts as a parenting student trying to make a better life for me and my kids. It highlights why holistic supports like childcare, transportation, and career coaching are essential for non-traditional students like me to succeed.    Our stories are powerful tools for change. Check out the report here:  https://lnkd.in/gnX8pvaz   Together, we’re advocating for policies that reflect the real needs of students and create pathways to opportunity.      #StudentVoices #SkillsTraining #WorkforceDevelopment #EconomicMobility 

Join the Launch Event of the Endorsed By IEP Program In today’s fast-changing job market, it’s crucial that employability professionals have the right skills and knowledge. The Institute of Employability Professionals (IEP) is a trusted leader in the sector, committed to maintaining high standards and advancing the field. Discover more about the benefits of the Endorsed by IEP Program at our launch event on 30th October. https://lnkd.in/enQVhda2 @IEPInfo #Employability #EmployabilityProfessionals #EmployabilitySector #IEPNews #IEPEvents #IEPEndorsedBy