National Citizen Service (NCS) and Youth Employment UK are excited to announce the launch of a new 12 month partnership to boost youth skills and employability. Youth Employment UK, an independent, not for profit social enterprise founded to tackle youth unemployment, will co develop important employability learning resources and insights to support NCS services for young people aged 16-17.
In an environment where young people across the UK are facing unprecedented challenges and insecurities, NCS and Youth Employment UK will develop tools and resources to boost their skills and prepare them for the world of work. High levels of young people (age 16-24) not in full time education or employment (NEET) and the lack of essential skills amongst young people needed for transition into work are highlighted in reports by the Institute for Employment Studies and Chartered Management Institute. Furthermore, the uneven provision of non-formal and learning opportunities available to young people outside of formal education, means that many are missing out on activities linked to improved educational outcomes, employment prospects, and physical and mental health.
The new collaboration between Youth Employment UK and NCS includes a number of initiatives to address these issues including the co-creation of employability resources aimed at supporting teachers in providing high-quality personal development opportunities for young people. These resources will be included in the NCS Skills Booster programme which provides content around life skills, citizenship and employability for students in schools, colleges and other settings.
NCS is also proud to sponsor and contribute to the upcoming Youth Census as part of this new partnership. NCS and Youth Employment UK will co-design questions for Youth Employment UK’s Youth Voice Census, an annual survey of young people aged 11-30 which provides the most comprehensive temperature check on how young people are feeling about a range of issues, including education, employment and training. The outcomes of the survey will help shape NCS strategy and development of its three service lines comprising residential, local community and online experiences for 16-17 year olds.
The partnership will also see NCS and Youth Employment UK further develop Youth Employment UK’s online courses, which support thousands of young people with employability information and skills each year, to make these more tailored and accessible for young people within NCS target groups. In particular, this project will develop bite sized, badged and certificated, employability courses which young people work through at their own pace and that will be hosted on Youth Employment UK’s website. Through this NCS will be able to test its hypothesis, that young people engage better with more bite sized context.
Mark Gifford, CEO of NCS Trust, welcomed the partnership, saying: “We are excited to launch this new partnership with Youth Employment UK, gathering important insights and developing appropriate learning opportunities for young people around employability. The partnership demonstrates the continued commitment of NCS to ensuring all young people are work ready, world ready and have access to resources and experiences to help them gain valuable employability skills.”
Laura-Jane Rawlings MBE, CEO and Founder of Youth Employment UK, said: “We are delighted to be kicking off 2024 with this partnership with NCS. Youth Employment UK recognises the important role NCS plays in boosting opportunities for young people. NCS has the power to build young people’s skills, confidence and social networks, these are all things young people tell us they want and need more of in the Youth Voice Census and our wider work. This partnership brings together two very aligned organisations, committed to supporting young people on their next steps.”
