Youth Employment UK’s Ambassadors sat on a roundtable to discuss employment, the impact of COVID-19 on young people’s plans for the future and the range of opportunities that young people have access too and what good quality work experience means for young people. The session was chaired by Alesha, Youth Engagement and Ambassador Coordinator
Impact of COVID on the plans and the future
Participants told us that they had strong plans in place pre-covid but that they had to change them very quickly in March.
One Youth Ambassador told us she had experienced losing her job to COVID-19 meaning she had also lost that sense of routine.
One Youth Ambassador said his supported internship had been affected, it had been extended three times but because of this once his internship ends he could not apply for a second internship as his Health and Education plan ends, ending any support that he receives. He did note that there are lots of opportunities available for young people, but the hardest thing is to pick which opportunities to apply for.
Good experiences : Some had good experiences and said that actually it had opened up more opportunities, for example as everything became virtual, they found they had access to career event days that they might not typically have access to.
One reflected that Joining Youth Employment UK as a Youth Ambassador had provided her with great volunteering opportunities such as talking directly to employers, being in the room (virtually) with MPs and creating a network and while this has helped her grow her skills and reach, she still hasn’t been able to secure employment through this. She remains hopeful that something perfect will come up for her.
Pathways into employment
Participants stated that they wish they were more educated and aware of all of the different pathways into employment.
They would also like:
- Better collaboration between employers and education providers – education settings should be engaging with employers locally, regionally and nationally.
- To feel more well informed to make potentially life changing decisions and it is a lot of pressure to be under.
- To stop the bias of pushing a University route above other pathways
One participant noted that when COVID hit, is when she realised exactly the scope of the opportunities that were out there – she began researching work experiences and following pages that advertise opportunities.
What is a good quality work experience?
Participants discussed:
- Companies offering a variety of experiences can be really beneficial, it gives young people an idea of the company and how it operates while at the same time allows exploration of what they are good at and enjoy doing. This can also be a chance for young people to reflect and find out what areas they might need to work on or what they don’t enjoy as much.
- Ensuring there is the chance to develop soft skills with their employer and be given a fair assessment of these can be built and grown.
- Regular informal conversations with employers that allow young people to explore what their aspirations are and how they want to grow.
- Support on how to act in a work environment and how to conduct yourself
- Giving regular tips and open feedback
- Sharing tools to reflect on what has been learnt or gained from new experiences, roles, opportunities
Listening to Youth Voice and provided young people with the opportunity to feedback at all stages of the process from application to end of placement and also ensuring that young people are encouraged to share their voice and are given the options to talk about how they would like to be supported.
