WORK EXPERIENCE

Speakers for Schools facilitates over 2,500 engagements and placements a year. They are a youth charity that believes every young person should have the opportunity to succeed and reach their potential.

Their aspirational engagements, puts young people in touch with the very best, to spark their ambitions and belief in what is possible for the future.

The website is a useful free resource tool for young people, parents/carers. Educational settings and stakeholders working with young people.

Read more here.

EMPLOYMENT

Recruitment to the Fast Stream was paused while the government looked at different options for reducing costs. During this period work to reform and improve the scheme continued – resulting in the implementation of a better core training offer and more efficient delivery model.

Following this work, it has been announced that the Fast Stream will resume recruitment for 2023 on December 8th.

There is no typical Fast Streamer – the Civil Service look for people from all backgrounds to become their future leaders, to help ensure the Civil Service reflects all the communities it serves.

The Fast Stream application window will open at midday on Thursday 8th December and close at midday on Thursday 22nd December 2022.

Details of internship programmes here. 

YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

The fast-food chain wants to improve social mobility by giving the disadvantaged more opportunities to work, build skills and confidence and become managers.

Through its Hatch employability programme launched with the charity UK Youth; KFC hopes to help 6,000 16–24 year olds get their first job.

KFC’s UK general manager Meghan Farren said “we need to unlock the potential of young people. The skills shortage in the economy and hospitality industry has only sharpened our focus on this”.

Read more here

Gov.Wales press release
22nd October 2022

YOUNG PEOPLE
Enhanced employment and enterprise bureaus will help young people prepare for the world of work. Part of the young person’s guarantee, which commits to providing everyone under the age of 25 living in Wales with support to gain a place in education or training and help to get into work or become self-employed, the bureaus will be backed by £2.36 million in Welsh Government funding this financial year, helping young people to prepare for the labour market through a package of opportunities that will be made available for both full and part-time learners.

Read more here

27th October 2022

SKILLS
The Government has recently launched this national programme focussed on adult numeracy, with combined and local authorities receiving a share of this funding to commission and deliver ‘Multiply’ activity.

Multiply delivery is intended to complement formal adult numeracy provisions and can include non-formal learning activities to engage adults, including delivery in the workplace, community and family learning settings and delivery of numeracy in everyday contexts, such as financial literacy.

Learning & Work is launching The Multiply Effective Practice Network (MEPN). The network provides a
forum for all Multiply commissioners, providers, and wider stakeholders with a strategic interest and expertise in adult numeracy to share experiences and learn from other areas as the Multiply programme evolves, in real-time.

 

Read more here

Gov.UK press release
21st October 2022

POLICY NEWS
A new government-backed law will offer pregnant women and new parents greater protection against redundancy. New legal powers will help to counter workplace discrimination, particularly when new parents return to work. It follows a government consultation on these proposals which found evidence of new parents facing prejudice in the workplace, with an estimated 54,000 women a year feeling they have to leave their jobs due to pregnancy or maternity discrimination.

Read more here

House of Commons Library
26th October 2022

POLICY NEWS
Useful information on employees’ rights. Employees with 26 weeks of continuous service have the right to request a change to their working hours, times, or location. If this bill is passed it will ensure more people can access flexible working and act as a catalyst to address the barriers faced by women, the disabled, carers and older people.

 

Read more here.

The House of Commons Library provides constituency-level data on people claiming unemployment benefits through an interactive dashboard. The data is expressed as both the number of claimants as well as a proportion of residents aged 16-64. 

A House of Commons Library’s research briefing reveals that 1.23 million people aged 16+ were unemployed in April-June 2022. Of these, 920,000 were
from a White ethnic background and 312,000 were from a minority ethnic background.
The UK unemployment rate was 3.6% in April-June 2022.  The rate was 3.2% for people
from a White ethnic background compared to 6.3% for people from minority ethnic
backgrounds, although there was substantial variation between different ethnic minority
groups.

People from White (3.2%) and Indian (4.7%) ethnic backgrounds had the lowest
unemployment rates, and people from Bangladeshi (9.0%) and
Black/African/Caribbean/Black British (8.1%) ethnic backgrounds had the highest rates in
April-June 2022.

The Princes Trust launched their powerful new brand campaign on the 3rd October. The ‘‘#CLASS OF COVID’ – a new campaign to help young people across the UK who are struggling with the repercussions of the pandemic.