We have had the pleasure of working with Matt Dronfield, Head of Debt Free London, at Movement to Work. Over the last few years we’ve had his expertise on the youth sector and youth work helping to guide our strategy and action. So when he moved over to Toynbee Hall to lead Debt Free London we’ve been keeping an eye on the work they are doing to see how we can support more young people across the UK together. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do and whilst this might seem like a tangent from our purpose understanding what we need to do to drive the right action comes from a very similar place and one more thing is for certain, if we can support people into meaningful work they are much more likely to be able to break the cycle of debt they are in.

 

The vision of Debt Free London is to make getting out of debt no more complicated than getting into it, over 9 million people are over indebted in the UK with 1.6 million in London which is the focus for Matt and the team. Their recent Working for a Debt Free London report noted that the Tower Hamlets, Newham and Hackney are the areas where Local Authorities are facing the highest level of child poverty, if you look beyond the top three there is a correlation between this, the unemployment ratio and attainment at 19 years old. Once again it is people being in a cycle without the right support which is a waste of talent and potential, breaking these cycles is a must if we are to impact social mobility.

 

At Movement to Work we are focussed on supporting unemployed young people (18-30 year olds), especially those most in need of support, into meaningful employment through work placements but also direct into employment. For employers across our network who are undertaking this work in London it’s important that we direct our youth outreach, mentoring and work placements into those communities who most need the support. Our hope is that we can work with Debt free London as they build their service to provide more pathways to work, lifting young people out of debt and setting them up to fulfil their potential.

 

You can read more from Matt and Debt Free London over on his blog.

Data from Trust for London.

 

James Ashall, CEO Movement to Work

James Ashall, CEO Movement to Work, attended the APPG on Apprenticeships for the launch of their annual report; here are his reflections on the case for change in the apprenticeships system.

I had the pleasure of joining the APPG on Apprenticeships this week at the launch of their APPG annual report. I met some inspirational young people who shared their experience, and the value of good quality apprenticeships could not be clearer. In my conversations with them one theme came through strongly: we must do more to tackle social mobility and ensure that these opportunities are available for all.

Focussing in on the report there were two elements called out that could start to address this in the short-term around parity of pay and qualifications:

• The report calls for parity of pay for apprenticeships – this is critical if young people who do not have a stable home are going to be able to access all apprenticeships. Right now some of them will not be able to afford to get onto that Level 2 apprenticeship ladder
• It also talked about a flex in Levy funding to support young people to gain the qualifications needed to get onto apprenticeships – specifically in Maths, English and Digital. It is something employers are asking for so they can support more young people into great careers – a small change here could make a massive difference in supporting those for whom the education system has not worked.

Moving on from the APPG report there are two other recent publications that highlight the challenges faced.

Firstly the Social mobility in Great Britain – State of the Nation 2018 to 2019 report illustrated the lack of access across society to good quality apprenticeships, meaning that “those from lower socio-economic backgrounds are clustered in lower-returning and lower level apprenticeships, and are thus not benefitting as much as their affluent peers”.

Finally pulling in data from the recent Establishing the Employment Gap, Impetus report we see that the picture is even bleaker for those young people further from the labour market, we must ensure that we create more sustainable successful pathways for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into apprenticeships and good work:

• Disadvantaged young people are twice as likely to be NEET as their better-off peers
• The Employment Gap is consistent over time
• In all regions, the proportion of NEETs who are from disadvantaged backgrounds is higher than the levels of disadvantage in the population.
• At all levels of qualification, disadvantaged young people are more likely to be NEET than their better-off peers with similar qualifications

On top of these challenges the volume of opportunities are dropping, starts at Level 2 and Level 3, which offer a stepping stone into work and are part of a critical pathway for those young people we support at Movement to Work, have decreased by 16% and 38% respectively since 2016/17. When coupled with the steep drop in sector based work academies and traineeships the ladder of opportunity is being eroded significantly.

Adopting some of the changes in the report will be a good first step, but the education system must be better incentivised to support students through vocational pathways. There is also a role for employers to ensure that the opportunities we offer are accessible to those young people across the UK irrespective of background and socio-economic group.

There is a significant opportunity here to shape the future for young people and, if we can find the right ways to collaborate, there is a lot we can do collectively to tackle the injustice that exists today.

James Ashall, CEO Movement to Work

We’ve all been given an opportunity by someone at some time.  If you reflect back and think about it I’m sure you can all remember when you got that first bit of work experience, when someone took a chance on you for a job.  For many of the young people we aim to support through Movement to Work that person to take a chance on them and support them is missing, or they don’t have the knowledge or access to support themselves to fulfil their ambitions or even realise their ambitions.

Being given that chance is a small but important facet of mentoring, that point where trust is built and a young person can see that someone believes in them and is willing to take a risk to support them with their development. I’ve been fortunate to have many people I can call mentors through my life and from each of these relationships I’ve learnt something different. Be they formal in-work mentors, family mentors or professional coaches.  I’ve also had the privilege of mentoring some inspirational people and it truly is a two-way street; the reward and learning from being a mentor is so powerful and something that I believe has really supported my life development.

Movement to Work is so focussed on mentorship because we know the difference it makes to the young people we are supporting.  Having a person who believes in them, will support them through good and bad, will listen and provide an honest insight is invaluable and this is born out statistically in our data.  Those employers, training providers and charity partners who invest the most in mentoring, in many different ways, deliver better positive outcomes for the young people they support; more get into jobs or education (upwards of 70% vs our average of 56%).

The reason for this is two-fold.  Firstly it boosts their confidence: someone is investing in their development, listening to them as an individual, answering the questions they may have, removing uncertainty and making them feel part of a family in the work place.  Secondly, there is a relationship that can transcend an employability programme, if they are not successful first time that mentor knows them and can help them with what’s next. This ongoing relationship means they are more likely to find the job they are looking for, and when they do are likely to announce joyfully to their mentor that they have secured it, closing the feedback loop.

The employers and partners across our programmes deliver mentorship in many different ways but the two real types we see are the ‘work mentor’ and the ‘life mentor’.  The former is often a ‘buddy’ from within and employer who spends time with a candidate before the programme, and support them through their work. They can answer all of those questions that have obvious answers to us having been in the workplace for years. The latter is usually a professional working in youth training or youth charity work, their relationships with a young person usually starts long before a work placement and, where the right funding is in place, they continue to support them through that placement.  That pastoral support can make the difference between someone completing the programme and getting a job with prospects or dropping out part of the way through.  One of the key elements in structuring and funding employability programmes is to ensure that there is enough provision for that ongoing mentoring support.

All of the above said, the benefit to the mentor must not be overlooked.  As well the rich experience of being a mentor data from both M&S and Diageo shows that those who become mentors or buddies through their employability programmes have higher engagement with their employers, and we know employee engagement correlates with customer satisfaction and Earnings per Share.

We’ve spent much time over the last few months talking to our Steering Group members and senior business leaders, mentors and mentees about the benefits of employability programmes and specifically mentoring to them and their businesses. Below you can see four brilliant case studies where programme graduates from M&S, Marriot, BT and Accenture have interviewed their mentors.  One thing that didn’t come through in the videos was a message we heard loud and clear from the young people we support.  If you’re going to agree to mentor make sure you are in for the duration and that everyone has the same expectations.  If you get that right it can be the most rewarding part of any job.

We know that if more organisations get this right, the success rate across Movement to Work will increase further, there will be many more engage employees and critically we will be able to many more young people into employment.

And one final thought from me, if you are looking for a mentor, find that person who you admire who you think could be great and ask them for some time to chat, they’re more than likely to say yes. People love to help.

Sacha Berendji, retail, operations and property director at Marks and Spencer is passionate about the benefits of providing placements for young people who need extra help getting on the career ladder, and how this and mentoring has helped put further ‘heart and soul’ into M&S!

M&S has been committed to providing opportunities for young unemployed people for over 15 years. Working with Movement to Work, The Prince’s Trust, Remploy and Business in the Community, we’ve supported over 20,000 young people through our ‘Marks & Start’ employability scheme, providing employability skills, on the job training and a chance to get a job with prospects.

Participants spend two to four weeks on a training placement and during that time, each person is paired with a buddy. Their buddy gives everyday support and helps participants with any questions they have while on their placement. If an individual successfully finishes and passes the training, they can apply for any M&S vacancy in any store within a six-month period, without having to apply online or be assessed; their placement is a more-than-adequate assessment of their capability. This removes one of the biggest barriers to employment these individuals face.

Mentoring is good for M&S

Marks & Start also offers development opportunities for existing employees. They develop business critical skills such as communication, leadership, teamwork and resilience through ‘buddy’ mentoring roles; 87% of buddies say the programme boosts their skills, loyalty and pride in working for M&S.

Ongoing evaluation shows that 99% of buddies feel motivated by involvement in the scheme and 98% say it makes M&S a better place to work. Employees feel a pride and passion that their employer cares and go out of its way to support disadvantaged people in the community.

And 90% of the participants say that the programme changed their lives, giving them the confidence to get back to or into work. Over 90% say that they now had a greater understanding of the world of work and have improved self-esteem and the confidence they needed to get back into work.

Heart and soul!

The young people I’ve met on our Marks & Start programme have been very engaging and unbelievably positive about the opportunity they’ve been given, and our retail teams love to see people so eager to learn, progress and be part of the M&S family.

Over the last 10 years around 40% of participants have gone into employment with M&S or another employer, with this reaching over 50% during some years. With over 10,000 people having passed through the programme we continue to celebrate the diversity to our workforce this brings, and the moving life stories that sit behind the figures; one of our recent participants said: “It’s changed my life, I thought I’d never get a job, that no one would employee me, Marks & Start has turned my life around.”

I love working in the hospitality industry. Why? Because it’s a people-business and I love meeting new people every day. In our hotels, we open our doors to guests from around the globe and we employ an equally diverse workforce to deliver excellent service every day.

Throughout my personal journey with Marriott International, I have benefitted from other colleagues mentoring me.  I would say that many of my career decisions were formed through intense conversations and discussions with the mentors that I have had.  This has inspired me to not only become a mentor to others, but to also support the engagement Marriott has with initiatives such as Movement To Work.

I think mentoring is a crucial tool that helps us to support young associates who aspire to a career in the industry and help them achieve their personal goals and aspirations.  Marriott needs young people to join our workforce so we can develop and nurture them to take on leadership positions in the future and supporting them on their journey with Marriott enables us to do so.

For our young associates, mentoring can be an important step to discovering the numerous roles and opportunities that are available within the company and also provide them with the insights they might not yet have on how best to progress within a global corporation.

We often don’t see the wood for all the trees.  This can be so true when it comes to career choices. Many times we think a career path needs to be a straight-line and is mapped out the moment we start in one position.  Through the eyes of a mentor, other possibilities can suddenly present themselves as a great choice of career move.  For me, it’s incredibly satisfying to see one of my mentees move on within the company and succeed in their development.  #Marriott #Serve360 #Empower #YoungPeopleWork

Mentoring.  It’s an interesting word.  The dictionary definition is “an experienced and trusted advisor.”   But it can mean quite different things to different people.

Mentoring can be a deep, long-term commitment.  For example, @AmyCaton who leads BT’s Work Ready employability programme has been supporting a local initiative run by MAPS Mentoring where she’s been working for a year with a young person she meets weekly. These meetings are a safe space for her mentee to talk and be listened to.

Mentoring can also be much shorter, focused interactions.  It’s important not to let the ‘M’ word be too daunting.  It’s simply inviting someone you trust to offer advice based on their experience.

Writing this blog got me thinking about the people who’ve played a pivotal role in my personal and professional development.  Lots of people came to mind, often situation based.  For example, the senior leader who, when I was pregnant in my twenties, shared with me her insights as a working mother, including the nugget:  “Your kids don’t need you any less when they go to school, they just need you in different ways and at different times.”  Her words stayed with me and helped me shape the kind of working mum I wanted to be.  And the colleagues that challenged me to see myself differently and throw my hat in the ring and apply to be Chair of the Good Things Foundation. Many more examples came to mind, but there’s no-one that I can point to and say: “they were my mentor.”

I don’t see that as a bad thing.  Now I come to think about it in more depth, I realise it also reflects how I approach mentoring with others.  I can’t think of any relationship that has been formally labelled as me being someone’s mentor. I can, however, think of lots of people in whom I take a personal interest and enjoy wonderful conversations on a regular basis about what they are doing and the challenges they face.  I can also think of many one-off conversations where hopefully I’ve been able to add value to someone else’s thinking about themselves.

What’s also striking is just how much I get from those interactions.  I love hearing what others are working on, the things that are on their mind and, if I can offer some additional perspective that they find helpful, then that’s a brilliant feeling.  But it doesn’t only feel good; normally I learn something along the way.

Trusted advisors (or mentors!) are key to schemes run by BT and other Movement to Work employer members. I love seeing the reaction from young people on our Work Ready programme, who may not have had great role models to draw on, when one of our bright, sparky apprentices talks from the heart.   Suddenly they have someone they can identify with, who provides that important source of inspiration and aspiration.    And what I also hear so often is the effect that these young people have on their ‘mentors’, and others around them. Many have been through tough challenges, and yet have managed to set themselves on a positive road to employment.    ‘Inspiring’ is a word that can be used too often, but it may not be strong enough when the very people who are being mentored become ‘accidental mentors’ themselves.

Mentoring – don’t let the word put you off or have some fixed idea what it should mean. You can find mentors – people who will help and advise you – at every turn if you’re open to  the opportunity.

 

Find out more about BT’s Work Ready programme www.bt.com/workready.

From my own personal experience, I’ve had a lot of mentors during my time at Accenture and throughout my career, and in turn have had the chance to be a mentor to others.

The first mentor I had many years ago was integral in giving me the confidence that I could do ‘more’ with my career, and is someone whose advice I still value to this day. In turn, there are people I’ve been lucky enough to mentor both within Accenture – people who have worked for me and still come back for advice when they want a neutral view – and externally. For example, one of the instructors at my local gym is someone who I was able to advise to hone in on his ambitions and aspirations. The result being he has now moved into the career in financial services that he always wanted, but the downside is that he is no longer able to teach at my gym!

As you can imagine for a global company like Accenture, inclusion and diversity are fundamental to our core values. Our rich diversity makes us strong and more innovative, competitive and creative, helping us better serve our clients and communities.

We’re are actually aiming to be the most inclusive and diverse organisation in the world, with a workforce that reflects our clients and community. With this in mind, we are constantly thinking about how we can continue to build a workforce where everyone feels included, respected, and able to bring their whole selves to work. Whether that’s initiatives like our Mental Health Allies programme, LGBT inclusion, Accelerate programme for our BAME employees, apprenticeship schemes and more, we strive to create a truly human environment where people can be who they are and be their best selves – professionally and personally.

How do we manage it? One key factor is recruitment. We co-founded Movement to Work (MTW), the work-placement charity, to provide opportunities for young people from diverse backgrounds who want to work, but perhaps aren’t sure where to start. We’ve seen some incredible achievements by people who join us with few qualifications, who would otherwise might have not been considered for apprenticeships or any other roles, many of whom are now working for Accenture and studying for degrees.

As part of this programme, a mentoring scheme has been put in place, where current Accenture employees can guide apprentices on their career journeys, using their own experience to help more recent Accenture joiners. We’ve seen a strong and positive impact on our existing employees who have taken up these roles through their engagement and leadership. Everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.  You can see a great example of the successful mentoring within this programme by watching our short film above about Rob and Faisal, both MTW mentee and mentor respectively.

I see mentoring as crucial in helping a number of people from a range of backgrounds obtain, identify and progress into meaningful employment. Systems like ours and our partnership with Movement to Work provide people throughout the business ecosystem with the relationships they can use to raise their aspirations, build their confidence and develop the soft skills required to help mentees shape and achieve their goals.

I’m proud to be part of this, and to have such a range of colleagues with whom I can both advise and learn from. Mentoring plays such a big part in many people’s careers, and lives.

Movement to Work works with businesses and organisations that have the imagination to give young people who need more support a chance in the workplace through placements and other job opportunities. Together we have provided over 80,000 placements, and over 50% of those completing them have gone onto employment or back into education.

But, of course, many businesses need more than imagination, they must justify all of their decisions to investors, staff and customers. And the good news is they can. Recruiting this way makes financial sense through lower recruitment costs, ensures a high level of loyalty among incoming staff and improves the morale of existing staff. James Ashall, Chief Executive, Movement to Work provides an insight into how organisations like BAE Systems, BT, Marks and Spencer and the NHS have benefited from looking deeper into the labour market.

What’s in it for me?

Employing people is possibly the most difficult challenge organisations face. Getting the right people, with the right attitude and skills, is what all organisations aim for, but it can be a difficult task even with references, extensive CVs and facilities like LinkedIn that can give a much better idea of a person than was available in the past.

So, what about companies that are looking for younger people to train into the sort of colleagues that will be the business in several years’ time, who will have the skills that organisations need if they’re going to thrive or even continue to exist? Their CVs won’t have much on them, and they’ll have relatively little professional or academic experience, and many may not have yet learned ‘soft’ skills like punctuality and professional communication.

There is a big pool of young people out there, there always is; people in the 18-24 age group are much more likely to be unemployed than any other age group. Some of those young people will be pushed towards organisations by well-meaning, concerned parents, and some of these parents will even have links with the people that run those organisations. And some of the young people will be exceptionally well qualified, with degrees in humanities or arts subjects like media studies, history or sociology; not immediately obvious fits for businesses, but parental support power can help significantly.

So, that’s all good. But what about the rest?

• Those who are long-term unemployed,
• come from challenging or disadvantaged backgrounds,
• without families to support them financially or nurture their ambition as well as positive attitudes towards work and education?
• What about young people with mental-health issues, who are disabled or even young offenders?

What happens to them?

The good news is that 100s of organisations have pledged to provide work placements for these young people through Movement to Work, and they would argue that loyalty from those who never thought they would get a chance for a decent career makes them into model employees, whilst bringing numerous other advantages and hidden benefits.

In a 2018 Accenture report, commissioned by Health Education England, found that there was a 9% reduction in staff turnover, and reduced absenteeism, from young people recruited by the NHS via work-placement and employability schemes, which help young people develop workplace skills. This is part of the reason why, over a five-year period, it was determined that for every £1 spent on these schemes, a NHS trust could get that £1 back, plus an additional £2.50 in financial and economic benefits.

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust’s (NUTH) Project Choice is offered to young people aged 16-24 in Newcastle with learning difficulties, disabilities or autism. To date 84% of the Trust’s Project Choice participants have gone on to into paid employment. The project is part of Health Education England’s programme to support the widening participation agenda and is a huge endorsement of the value to organisations of considering all young people for employment.

Disabled people and neurodiversity can be issues that many organisations fail to consider, or they don’t know how to access them or integrate them into current workforces. This is not only unfair to the young people, it means that those organisations are missing out on high-calibre candidates through ill-conceived preconceptions.

Certain neurodiverse conditions can lead to candidates being more suited to certain tasks. For example, Auticon is an international IT and compliance consulting business which hires consultants on the autism spectrum.

Ray Coyle, the chief executive of Auticon in the UK, said: “There are tangible business benefits to neurodiversity; Auticon consultants have abilities that set them apart from others. They have a genuine awareness for quality, outstanding attention to detail and intuitively recognise novel patterns in complex quantities of data.”

Employing young people who need particular support incurs relatively low recruitment costs as recruitment agencies are generally not involved and the HR interview process can be relatively light as so much is known about the candidates already.

Doing this also serves to drive morale within organisations. Employees increasingly want to feel that they are putting something back into society and coaching a young person can fulfil that desire.

David Pincott, who was a public affairs manager with BT, reflected on a scheme that BT ran alongside Movement to Work, where managers and others from around the company helped young people with CV writing and interview techniques:

“I remember one young man who told me in a mock interview that his weakness was that he ‘couldn’t read or write.’ I stopped the interview there to explore what he could say about that in real interviews and he described how had got himself onto an adult literacy course so that he could get a gas-safety certificate. I was amazed and humbled at the same time.

“Amazed that he talked about a ‘weakness’ that would have ruled him out of many jobs if he talked about it in an interview in such blunt terms, and humbled at his determination to get past this hurdle. This determination would be a strength for him in future interviews and a feeling for me going home that night of actually helping to make a difference.”

Championing the importance of diverse and inclusive workplaces and celebrating compelling personal success stories – often in the face of adversity – that ultimately lead to enhanced business performance, have been common themes that have emerged so often for Movement to Work.

Anastacia Jamfrey had become a mother at the age of 16 and had spent long periods unemployed, until she came across Movement to Work and started a placement at BAE Systems, which led to an apprenticeship position with the company:

“Because BAE Systems got to see me operating in the workplace I now work in engineering and have become a passionate STEM ambassador, even though  I’ve no STEM qualifications!

“I remember being approached by a manager at a social function who wanted me to work in his part of the business; imagine going from being long-term unemployed to being sought out because someone had recognised my skills. My work placement did that, I would never have been considered on paper, I wouldn’t even have applied.”

Irfan Ayub had been exposed to criminal activities from an early age and had been expelled from school with no qualifications. He found a work placement through Street Elite, the youth development initiative that uses sport and mentoring to motivate young people.

Irfan said: “I’m now in a job where my colleagues must have degrees. I’ve got no qualifications on paper but by being seen first-hand in the workplace, it meant I didn’t need them. The people there saw something in me, more employers must recruit this way.”

Marks & Start Work-placement Programme

Marks & Spencer has been running a work-placement programme, Marks & Start, which helps people facing barriers getting into work, since 2004. It’s aimed at single parents, people with disabilities or health conditions and people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. M&S also supports ex-forces people, service leavers and ex-offenders into work through employability programmes run with its partners.

Marks & Start has provided benefits for recruitment, development, engagement and retention, as well as building positive messages about M&S in the community and demonstrating its commitment to responsible business.

As part of Marks and Start, M&S’s Make your Mark programme provides access to a bank of work-ready young people who have been ‘tested’ before they even start a job; it reduces recruitment costs and those who do join are loyal and committed; it helps recruit and create a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects local communities and, importantly, retains high-performing existing employees who support and develop programme participants – they feel their employer and their impact in work is making a difference to others’ lives.

The scheme offers development opportunities for existing employees to develop business critical skills such as communication, leadership, teamwork and resilience through taking on ‘buddy’ roles; 87% of buddies say the programme boosts their skills, loyalty and pride in working for M&S.

Ongoing evaluation continues to illustrate that 99% of buddies feel motivated by involvement in the scheme and 98% say it makes M&S a better place to work. Employees feel a pride and passion that their employer cares and go out of its way to support disadvantaged people in the community.

90% of participants say that the programme changed their lives, giving them the confidence to get back to work. Over 90% say that they now had a greater understanding of the world of work and have improved self-esteem and the confidence they needed to get back into work.

These quotes and statistics demonstrate that this programme benefits M&S. However, where Marks & Start has the biggest impact is for the young people themselves, their families, their futures and their communities, and this is something that drives many at the business to make the programme a success.

Sacha Berendji, retail, operations and property director at Marks &  Spencer, said:

“The young people I’ve met on our Marks & Start programme have been very engaging and unbelievably positive about the M&S opportunity, and our retail teams love to see people so eager to learn, progress and be part of the M&S family, it really raises morale. Employability programmes like this help to put the ‘heart and soul’ into M&S, creating a deeper connection with the community where our customers live and makes us a better business as a result.”

Skills Shortages In The UK

Ironically, another big issue facing the UK currently, aside from youth unemployment, is a skills shortage.

Three in five firms says the UK’s skills shortage worsened in the last year and more than half expect the situation to further deteriorate, according to research from the Open University from 2018. Three in five firms says the UK’s skills shortage worsened in the last year and more than half expect the situation to further deteriorate, according to the research.

David Willet, The Open University’s corporate director said:

“Organisations need to take a more sustainable, long-term approach, building talent through training rather than buying it in.”

The economy is working at almost full employment for older age groups and a number of sectors are running out of people with the skills the UK desperately needs.

There are some astonishing success stories for organisations that have looked deeper into the labour market, not only for the young people involved, but for the future of those businesses as they ensure they build the skills needed to expand and maintain healthy businesses.

It’s critical for the UK that at this this time of uncertainty, at the very least we can help young people who haven’t been given the opportunities that many take for granted, but we must also consider relevance to business and organisational objectives too.

We know for certain the benefits because so many of the organisations that recruit via Movement to Work and our partners continue to do so, and not just because their current workforces appreciate it and it’s good for society, but it also makes commercial sense.

James Ashall, Chief Executive, Movement to Work

This article was first published at FE News

Access to work, and access to community youth services must be provided if we are to tackle youth crime

The Government’s new funding, promised in the Spring Statement, must be aimed at root causes of youth crime. Movement to Work, IHEART & London Youth are calling on employers to provide more opportunities for all young people and for Government to reinvest in the UK’s youth services. Providing a future through positive mentorship, hope and ambition will have the greatest impact

Work-placement charity, Movement to Work (MtW), IHEART, a charity which helps young people develop their mental health and resilience, and London Youth, which aims to improve the lives of young people in London, are calling on more employers to provide work opportunities for young people who may otherwise enter a world of crime, and for funding to be restored for youth outreach and facilities.

MtW also calls on the Government to properly fund youth services. The £100m promised in the Spring Statement appears to be primarily aimed at policing. Though this has a role to play, it does not address the root issues of why much of youth crime occurs.

London Youth agreed:

While police are a part of reducing the levels of violence, enforcement is not the single solution. The work of the Youth Violence Commission has shown the roots of violence are deep and that there are no quick solutions. To end violence, we must take determined and bold action in addressing poverty, reducing the disparities experienced by people from many backgrounds, and providing more positive and meaningful opportunities for all young people.

MtW, which has delivered 80,000 work placements over the last five years for young people who are not in education, employment or training, says that gaining meaningful work can be a major long-term factor in helping to address the current wave of knife crime. Over 50% of those who have completed a MtW work placement have gone onto employment or back into education.

The youth unemployment rate was 11.8% in February 2019^[1], and far higher in areas of deprivation, compared to an unemployment rate of 4.0% for the whole population. With limited opportunities available, it’s easy to see why some young people become marginalised, disconnected from the statutory support available and ‘hidden’ from the statistics.  London Youth has produced a report Hidden in Plain Sight, which describes this issue.

The job opportunities are there with thousands of vacancies and employers investing to support young people into employment through apprenticeships, work placements and other opportunities. However, this can only make a difference if young people believe that they can access these opportunities and have access to relevant mentoring and role models to show them the pathway to jobs. This national challenge needs a joined up local response, and more funding is needed for youth outreach organisations and mentors, to do the vital work in supporting young people towards these opportunities.

James Ashall, chief executive at Movement to Work, said:

“As a coalition of employers we can support people into employment once they are known to us, but it’s organisations like London Youth who are part of local communities that can support young people to find their way to MtW and employers.  Positive mentorship is critical and we must address this. It is not a problem that can be solved in isolation by individuals; it needs society to come together to provide the right pathways, mentors and opportunities to find support.

“Employers now working with MtW have found that these young people are loyal, develop badly needed skills and that current workforces enjoy mentoring them. Meaningful employment is key to positive ambition; if young people see a bright future and potential careers, with positive guidance, we will all benefit, and looking at things starkly, fewer lives will be lost.”

Rosemary Watt-Wyness, CEO of London Youth, which represents over 480 youth organisations in London, said:

“Rising youth violence coincides with sustained cuts to youth services and fewer opportunities available to our young people. London’s Lost Youth Services report (2018) identified over £145 million lost from youth services across London since 2011, with 81 youth clubs closing and 800 youth service roles being lost in this period. Youth clubs are embedded in their local communities, they help young people build confidence and develop life skills critical to their future economic success. Young people choose to attend youth centres and build trusted relationships with youth workers which are key to inspiring them about the future. Our employability work has proven the positive outcomes young people achieve when employers and youth organisations work hand in hand.”

Brian Rubenstein, CEO of IHEART, a charity that helps young people develop mental health and wellbeing to become resilient, contributing members of society, and author of Escaping the Illusion, a novel covering knife crime, gang culture and other issues, said:

“It’s vital that young people realise their in-built potential. It’s crucial to help them see how they can build resilience and self-confidence and, for many, this will also involve meaningful work that provides good lifestyles and ambition. Combining an understanding of what constitutes their own innate mental health with a placement through Movement to Work will provide the means of realising that potential when they take up jobs or go back into education. This will help to reduce crime amongst young people, which is so often the result of the mistaken belief that there is no potential within them for a positive life.”

About Movement to Work (MtW): A collaboration of UK employers committed to tackling youth unemployment through the provision of high-quality work experience and other work opportunities. 80,000 work placements have been made possible by employers, charities and Government working together through MtW. Collectively they have provided young people with diverse and empowering experiences ranging from hospitality to engineering. Working with MtW, employers create work experience placements for unemployed young people between 16-30 years of age, particularly those who have been out of work, education or training for some time.

MtW works with charity partners that specialise in addressing particular issues, which includes long-term unemployment, homelessness, mental-health and young offenders. These charities help to provide a pipeline of young people who will benefit from a work placement. MtW’s employer members include Accenture, BAE Systems, Barclays, BT, BUPA, Centrica, the Department for Work and Pensions, Diageo, HSBC, IBM, Marks and Spencer, Marriott International, NHS, Tesco, Unilever and Wates, amongst others.

About London Youth: We are London Youth, a charity on a mission to improve the lives of young people in London, challenging them to become the best they can. Young people need opportunities outside school to have fun with their friends, to learn new skills, to make a positive change in their communities and to shape the city they live in. Last year, we worked with over 27,000 young people through our sports development, employability, youth action and involvement, arts and outdoor education programmes. Our work gives young people access to opportunities they might not otherwise have had.

Throughout our history, community youth organisations have provided a constant lifeline and a vital safe space outside the family and formal education, where young people can develop confidence, resilience and skills.

Our Future Talent employability programme launches in April 2019 through which we will work with 320 young people aged 14-18, who will be recruited to the programme from member youth organisations working in those five London boroughs.

About IHEART: Innate Health Education and Resilience Training is a registered charity dedicated to creating a revolutionary shift in society by helping young people realise their potential through learning about the innate resilience and mental health that all human beings possess. Despite huge investment and allocation of resources, society is facing a mental health crisis.

Our vision is to catalyse a step-change in how young people perceive their wellbeing and mental health, creating resilient adults and contributing members of society. The thoughtfully designed IHEART programme is our response to this crisis facing our youth. Since our conception in January 2018, we have impacted over 1,500 young people. The programme engages and empowers people with the built in knowledge that they can manage their challenges and difficulties. This accelerates an increase in wellbeing and resilience in all aspects of personal, social, family, work and communal life.

Our results are transformative and sustainable. In explaining how the often challenging circumstances of our lives can be navigated with far greater ease, confidence and success, the revolutionary IHEART approach offers the missing piece in the mental health and wellbeing puzzle that society wishes to solve.

This article was first published at FENews.

The Awards Evening saw young MtW graduates, employers, charity and delivery partners come together to celebrate the outstanding and impactful achievements that took place over the course of 2018. The theme of mentorship was one that ran throughout the course of the evening – fitting as Movement to Work is about positively impacting young people, in order that they can unlock their talents and fulfil their potential through the world of work.

Mentorship can take many forms but the essence of empowering a young person to pursue opportunities and providing helpful guidance that opens a world of possibility – were common themes. Those messages were prominently endorsed by the stories of the award winners. Additionally, the theme was further brought to life during a panel discussion, which shared the personal experiences of panellists. Jake Humphrey was joined by Spencer Owen aka Spencer FC, Rio Ferdinand, and some of the ‘Mentor of the Year’ and ‘Individual Impact’ award nominees, namely, Kieran, Tracy-Jane and Pauline.

Tracy-Jane explained that a work experience placement and some helpful guidance when she was a teenager allowed her to embark on the first chapter of her career with 10 years spent in the hospitality sector. In her current role with the Department for Work and Pensions and through her passionate commitment, 20 of the 29 young people she mentored last year progressed into employment. Pauline shared the transformation that she has observed in the 234 young people who have come through the Diageo ‘Learning 4 Life’ programme – indicating that the change in their self-belief has been truly remarkable. Rio spoke of the impact that Sir Alex Ferguson had on so many young footballers’ careers – highlighting his diligence and work ethic, over such a lengthy managerial career, as an example to all. Jake shared his personal career journey that involved the early setbacks of terminated employment and failed A-levels, encouraging young people to be resilient and ambitious.

Exploring the important role that mentoring plays was inspiring and thought-provoking in equal measure. Likewise, in celebrating the achievements of 2018 and the 80,000 Movement to Work placements that have been delivered to date – it allows our members to look forward to 2019 with excitement and an energised sense of purpose.