NatWest offering support for young people not in employment, education, or training

As part of its strategy to be the easiest and most useful bank for families and young people, NatWest (@NatWestGroup) has extended its employability programme, CareerSense, to support 16-24-year-olds not in employment, education, or training (NEETs) with readiness for work, aiming to enrol 100 young people over three tailored 4-month programmes.  

Working with regional youth partners, NatWest will focus on geographical areas most in need, offering a 4-month programme covering a range of skills development sessions, peer to peer mentoring and paid work experience with NatWest Group. The first cohorts join the programme this week in Inverclyde, Manchester, and London, partnering with TIGERS Limited Training Initiative, HideOut Youth Zone and Inspire! With Career Connect supporting the programme from 2022.  

New research from NatWest shows that almost half (46%) of 16-24s are concerned about their ability to secure a job following the coronavirus pandemic; 39% are concerned about their ability to succeed in the workplace, and 38% their ability to succeed in education. 44% are worried about having lasting job security. As a result of concerns about work, 78% of 16-24s report some impact on their mental health, just under one third a large impact (29%). Respondents cited confidence and self-belief (42%) and inability to afford costs (41%) as the main barriers they saw to their NEET friends and family getting into education, employment, or training. ONS data shows that there were an estimated 631,000 young people in the UK who were NEET in April to June 2021 (9.3% of all young people). 

Joe Amos, Head of Youth Work, Hideout Youth Zone, said:  

“We are delighted to be working with NatWest on the CareerSense Find Your Path programme. It provides a fantastic opportunity for us to support our members to build their skills, confidence and experiences of the world of work. Employability and enterprise are key parts of our core delivery at HideOut Youth Zone, and we know that a high percentage of our current members require additional support to help raise their aspirations to enter future employment. Programmes like this really help to expand our offer for the young people of Manchester.”  

CareerSense Find Your Path is an extension of the existing CareerSense programme which makes a range of employability content for young people, teachers, and parents/carers available through a new CareerSense website (mycareersense.com). This includes a ‘Find Your Potential’ tool to assess capabilities, technical and essential skills, and on completion, young people will receive a personalised report and free access to a range of learning resources in the NatWest Learning Academy. The tool also presents potential career routes based on these capabilities and the young person’s identified values. The online tools and resources are supported by CareerSense Skills Exploration Workshops for high schools) and insight weeks delivered with social mobility partners in The Sutton Trust, Career Ready Scotland, and Social Mobility Foundation. NatWest Group are also sponsoring 1000 16-18-year olds through the Ivy House Award helping to build life skills whilst at school.