The Good Youth Employment Symposium: Making work more accessible to all young people

Next week Youth Employment UK (@YEUK2012) are hosting their Good Youth Employment Symposium; lunch-time sessions running all week to explore how we can make work more accessible to all young people. 

Sessions focus on areas such as disability, race and ethnicity, those with experience of the justice system, mental health challenges and those with a socioeconomic disadvantage.

Each session will hear from young people with experience of these issues, expert practitioners and employers doing something different to support young people in work. 

The Symposium will be opened by an expert panel including the Minister for Employment Mims Davies MP and chaired by Diane Modahl MBE.

The panel will explore the youth unemployment crisis fuelled by the Coronavirus Pandemic where we have seen youth unemployment rise to 14.6% compared to all age date which sits at 4.8%.

Tony Wilson, Director of Institute of Employment Studies and Co-Chair of the Youth Employment Group will discuss the data and the enormous challenge that lays ahead.

According to the Youth Employment Group we will need to create #1000opportunities a day to bring youth unemployment back to pre-covid levels. A mammoth task given economic uncertainty around lockdown mark 2 and future lockdowns or tiered systems.

Kickstart will be a key theme in the Ministers presentation, but Kickstart alone will not create 1000 opportunities a day.

We will need to see the Prime Ministers Opportunity Guarantee come to life with business, national and local government, providers and youth organisations come together to shift the dial on youth unemployment.

Laura-Jane Rawlings CEO of Youth Employment UK said;

“The Good Youth Employment Symposium could not come at a more urgent time, those young people who face additional barriers to employment are finding themselves further and further away from the labour market. Young people tell us they are concerned about their futures. We need to create quality opportunities for young people and remove barriers for those who are struggling, the talent that will be lost otherwise does not bear thinking about. 

“As ever with Youth Employment UK the Symposium will focus on the practical and the good. We will be shining a spotlight on best youth employment practice and challenging the +300 delegates to think creatively and inclusively about opportunity creation.”

Following each session Youth Employment UK will publish the sessions in full, along with practical resources to help organisations interested in the topic areas and creating youth friendly opportunities. 

Organisations who are already doing great work in this space are invited to sign up to the free Youth Friendly Employer Badge so that they can be recognised for their commitment and identified by young people looking for great opportunities. Tickets are free with some availability

With thanks to:

Symposium Sponsors: City & Guilds

Media Partner: FE News

Supported by: the National Lottery

Sessions and Panellists

VIP Panel – Monday 23rd 12:00 – 13:00

• Diane Modahl MBE – Chair
• Mims Davies MP – Minister for Employment
• Tony Wilson – Institute for Employment Studies
• Clare Boden-Hatton – West Midland Combined Authority
• Laura-Jane Rawlings – Youth Employment UK
• Patrick Cantellow – Youth Employment UK

Disability & creating opportunity – Monday 23rd 13:15 – 14:45 

• Harvey Morton – Youth Employment UK, Rabia Lemahieu – Disability Rights UK, Kim Forsythe – This-Ability, Susie Pearson-Giddings – St. James’s Place
• Arron & Ella – Youth Employment UK Ambassadors

Creating a diverse workforce – Tuesday 24th 12:00 – 13:30

• Ciara O’Donnell – Youth Employment UK, Harriet Booth & Balvinder Jassal-Jones – Department for Health & Social Care, Nathan Dennis – First Class Legacy, Cope Outlana – Youth Futures Foundation 
• Tenika and Ciara – Youth Employment UK Ambassadors

Supporting young people with experience of the justice system – Wednesday 25th 12:00 – 13:30

• Patrick Cantellow – Youth Employment UK, Keith Fraser – Youth Justice Board, Davie Jones – Skills Mill
• Amran and Nicole – Youth Employment UK Ambassadors

Supporting young people’s mental health – Thursday 26th 12:00 – 13:30

• Deuvaunn Darroux – Youth Employment UK
• Drue Hammond – McDonald’s, Martin Kane – The Health Foundation, Dan Charlish – Snow-Camp
• Sophie & Laurence – Youth Employment UK Ambassadors

Creating opportunities for disadvantaged young people – Friday 27th 12:00 – 13:30

• George Greaves – Youth Employment UK
• Ashley McCaul – ThinkForward, Samantha Windett – Impetus, Sharon Blyfield – Coca-Cola European Partners
• Gertude & Victoria – Youth Employment UK Ambassadors

Youth Employment UK Annual Impact & Awards Event – Friday 27th 13:45 – 14:30

At this event Youth Employment UK will reflect on the week and summarise the pledges that have been made by delegates, as well as share the key stats from their 2020 Impact Report.

Kirstie Donnelly and David Phillips will be presenting the Youth Friendly Employer 2020 Award and Best Newcomer along with our Ambassador of the Year and Special Recognition Awards.