On Thursday 25th June at 11 am the British Army are hosting a Virtual Open Event, where you can meet a serving soldier, ask as many questions as you like and find out what it’s like to be in the British Army. You will be joined by Colour Sergeant Stuart Collins, who will talk about what life is like in the Infantry, give an overview of his career to date and talk through all of the job opportunities that the Army has to offer.

There will also be an opportunity to hear about the Army’s future plans for a work experience programme. 

There is no need to register for this event, just click on the link below just before 11 am on the 25th.  

The event can be accessed via any tech platform, including PC, iPad and Smartphone.

https://meet36301315.adobeconnect.com/rdfoi3rmgkxv/

With a career in the army, you’ll learn new skills, gain industry leading qualifications, see extraordinary corners of the world and make friends for life.  It’s all about the challenge, adventure and breaking barriers.  With hundreds of different roles to choose from it’s a place where you can set your own course to success.  

Join online on the 25th June to find out more.

As many organisations have reduced their workforces in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, others couldn’t fill roles fast enough. To help get people back to work, Chief Human Resources Officers from Accenture, Lincoln Financial Group, ServiceNow and Verizon worked together to create People + Work Connect.  This global initiative brings organisations together to find new ways to keep people employed throughout the pandemic by better matching demand and supply using the power of analytics.

To find out how your organisation can benefit, contact peopleworkconnect@accenture.com or go to www.accenture.com/peopleworkconnect 

As part of Accenture’s commitment to Movement to Work, they ran their first-ever virtual work experience programme in the UK – Virtual Tech Taster 2020! 15 young unemployed people were brought together with 9 faculty members, 5 team mentors and 9 apprentice buddies. Together they embarked on a week of Design Thinking workshops, coding, mock interviews, teamwork, employability, resilience, virtual team presentations and more using a range of innovative tools.

The current unprecedented situation accelerated the need to create virtual work experience programmes so that young people can continue to benefit from skilling and mentoring remotely and do not fall further behind. By virtualising the programmes, we can also help more young people living in remote regions access these high-quality programmes and help to kick start their careers.

After only 5 weeks of preparation, the Virtual Tech Taster was run between the 18th-22nd May 2020. The programme itself was designed and organised at pace to ensure that the candidates could participate in the assessment centres for the September 2020 intake of Accenture’s Technology Degree apprenticeships in Newcastle and Edinburgh. Candidates based in these locations have now been invited to attend these assessment centres.

15 young unemployed people joined from the surrounding areas of three of our office locations – London, Newcastle and Edinburgh. The programme was delivered via MS Teams and the curriculum was designed as short daily sessions to ensure that they were manageable and digestible virtually. These sessions were split between facilitated and independent sessions to keep the week varied and engaging. To ensure that the programme was digitally inclusive, Accenture provided the participants with a laptop, WIFI dongle and headset for the week and provided technology set-up guidance in advance of the programme itself.

Sessions included: coding, creative problem-solving using design thinking, presentation skills and putting those to the test with final team presentations, a virtual tour of the Accenture’s London Innovation Centre as well as employability information and support with CVs and interviews. The participants were supported through the programme by a wide network of people including the programme faculty, mentors and Accenture apprentice buddies.

In design and development of the programme, the Accenture team spent time exploring different options for virtual programmes, researching software/hardware and conducting user research. The curriculum and delivery mechanisms were designed and tested to ensure an innovative programme that could be delivered effectively through a virtual format. The success of the programme is exemplified by 100% of participants both completing the programme and saying that they would recommend it!

Quotes from participants include:

“…to be a part of it, even for just one virtual week feels amazing.…you have made it work so well…I know future participants for this scheme will definitely enjoy it!… this journey has been super insightful and self-reflective.”

“It was amazing to be part of Accenture’s very first Virtual Tech Taster Event! I was able to learn Python and JavaScript, 2 languages I’ve been keen on learning. Not only did I gain valuable technical knowledge and skills, but I was also able to polish up my soft skills! From CV tips to an excellent talk from Amit Rawal about building resilience and confidence, which I have struggled with.”

“Thank you so much for such a valuable and insightful week. It was such a pleasure to be a part of!”

The Accenture team have also been sharing their experience with other Movement to Work employers throughout the journey and are now collating insights and a framework of best practice that will be shared with other employers and charity partners to use to design their own virtual programmes. We are excited to see future virtual work experience programmes delivered at Accenture and beyond.

Relevant contact details: To find out more contact sarah.k.patton@accenture.com 

Summary: Diageo’s employability programme Learning for Life has launched a new Virtual Hospitality Academy, to ensure its hospitality training can continue during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Created and delivered by The Springboard Charity, the ‘Virtual Academy’ is open to new applicants who are looking to develop key skills in hospitality and improve their future employability, as well as over 2,000 individuals who have previously taken part in the Diageo Learning for Life programme across the UK.

“We hope the Diageo Learning for Life: Virtual Academy will encourage those at home to use the time to complete modules to build on their accomplishments, secure new qualifications and increase their employability ahead of the restart.”- Lucy Lamb, Programme manager at Diageo Learning for Life.

 Read more HERE

      

Summary: The Prince’s Trust, in partnership with projects and employers in the East Midlands, are offering a FREE online employment training course, giving young people an opportunity to start a career within Health & Social Care. 

You can expect: 

• An introduction to life in health and social care, including possible roles and responsibilities 
• Learning the values, skills, and attitudes required for a job in health and social care 
• Online CV support and interview advice 
• A speed interview for live vacancies 
• Up to 6 months of mentoring support if wanted 
• And it doesn’t affect your benefits! 

There are limited places available so register your interest now by emailing: jaimini.watson@princes-trust.org.uk 

Find out more HERE

Summary:

The UK Social Mobility Awards 2020 submissions have now been open for 2 weeks. Since the SOMOs were launched in 2017, they have had multiple entries from some of the leading organisations in the country, and it’s an initiative that’s been a great success and has been well-supported by the government.

If your organisation is passionate about advancing social mobility and doing work that you are proud of, register now to enter this year’s awards and become a leader in the field.

Register your entry now HERE.

The closing date for submission entries is at 17:00pm on Friday 26th June.

Summary:  In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Impetus, Youth Futures Foundation, Youth Employment UK, the Institute for Employment Studies and The Prince’s Trust have formed the Youth Employment Group (YEG) to bring together key leaders and experts around the youth employment sector to help drive the UK’s response. Movement to Work is also formally supporting this group and its aims.

The Youth Employment Group is focusing on the immediate and longer-term impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on the employment prospects of young people, in particular those facing the greatest challenges. 

Find out more HERE. 

Summary: The Prince’s Trust have launched free online workshops for young people aged 16-30 which will aim to help grow mental health resilience, communication skills and teamwork.

Find out more HERE or get in touch andrew.hebron@princes-trust.org.uk.

Summary:

 

1. Our plan to rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy

This 60 page document is the Government’s roadmap for how and when the UK will adjust its response to the COVID-19 crisis. The document sets out guidelines for the changes to apply from Wednesday 13th May – including advice on returning to work.

“…Workers in those sectors most affected, including hospitality and retail, are more likely to be low paid, younger and female. Younger households are also likely to be disproportionately hit in the longer term, as evidence suggests that, following recessions, lost future earnings potential is greater for young people….”

Read more HERE.

 

2. New guidance launched to help get Brits safely back to work

This page offers an overview of Government published guidance for employers to help them get their businesses back up and running and workplaces operating safely.

It highlights 5 key points: 

1. Work from home, if you can

2. Carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment, in consultation with workers or trade unions

3. Maintain 2 metres social distancing, wherever possible

4. Where people cannot be 2 metres apart, manage transmission risk

5. Reinforcing cleaning processes

Read more HERE. 

 

3. Guidance to help employers, employees and the self-employed understand how to work safely during the coronavirus pandemic.

There are 8 workplace guidance documents now available under Working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance.

Read more HERE.