Qube Learning, vocational training provider and work-placement charity, Movement to Work (MtW) are jointly calling on more employers to provide meaningful career opportunities for young people furthest from the UK’s labour market.
Over 90,000 work placements have been made possible by employers, charities and Government working together through MtW. MtW’s employer members 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. Over half of those who have completed these employability schemes have gone on to employment or back into education.
Emerging research suggests that young people will be amongst the worst affected groups as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Moreover, there is evidence that prolonged spells of unemployment, particularly while young, can cause long-lasting ‘scars’ on an individual’s future earnings, employment prospects and health and well-being. This national challenge needs a ‘joined up’ local response, alongside relevant mentoring and clear career pathways.
This initiative between MtW and Qube Learning is a natural step towards addressing this issue. Qube focuses on quality of learning provision over quantity, with a dedicated Youth Development Team working with young people. These students are often furthest from the labour market, and Qube’s mission is to find work placements that meet their individual needs.
Qube’s commitment to putting its students’ interests first has seen that within 2018/2019 alone over 76% of students who completed a Traineeship with Qube went on to immediately secure a job, predominantly in the retail sector.
Qube and MtW will create a powerful voice with which to reach employers, calling on them to consider the numerous benefits of Sector-Based Work Academies and make use of the funding available for apprenticeships, over the temptation to employ only candidates with previous experience.
By providing a conduit connecting young people and youth organisations with workplace opportunities and potential employers, both parties see the benefit of building a career ladder for young people.
Employers recognise that there is both a profitable and moral case for working this way, with lots of benefits to companies including addressing specific skills shortages, lower recruitment costs, the enhanced loyalty of placement graduates, improved morale of existing staff (especially through in-house mentoring) and the ability to build in-house talent through training.
Dal Channa, Interim CEO, Movement to Work said “MtW exists to reduce the number of young people who are ‘Not in Education, Employment, or Training’ (NEET). The COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest threat to young people and their career prospects for over a decade. We know that when we empower young people and welcome them into our industries, they not only forge brighter futures for themselves, they go on to add real value to our businesses, and society as whole improves. Now, more than ever, we need to provide young people with the support to thrive at work and acknowledge their vital role in our economic recovery.”
Adrian Grove, business development director at Qube Learning, said: “Qube Learning is passionate about supporting young people to gain valuable work experience, grow in confidence, gain valuable skills and insights into their chosen sector. With many sectors highlighting a significant shortage of candidates, leading to a growing skills gap, employers need to harness the potential of young people who perhaps have not been successful at school but may flourish in a work environment.
“Offering short, meaningful work-experience opportunities, to identify potential stars of the future, has wider advantages to businesses. It enables existing staff to sharpen their mentoring skills and job satisfaction, knowing they are helping the next generation of the workforce to take that massive first stride into the world of work. Qube Learning is excited to be supporting Movement to Work on existing and new projects supporting young people into work.”
For more information, visit www.qube-learning.co.uk and www.movementtowork.com
