Call for young people to help improve ways into work
Published: Tuesday 11 Sep 2018
A new project to reduce youth unemployment across the West Midlands is seeking the views of 16 to 24-year-olds at a series of workshops this month.
West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is piloting the Transition to Work scheme, which aims to cut youth unemployment and boost opportunities for young people in the region.
A series of workshops are being held in Birmingham, Solihull and Dudley for 16 to 24-year-olds to give their opinions on the support and opportunities available to them to find work.
Young people aged 16 to 24 are invited to give their views at a series of workshops this September.
The sessions will give young people a chance to air their views - whether they have successfully found employment or training after school or college, or are looking for work.
The Transition to Work pilot is taking a fresh approach to youth unemployment - it will work with central Government, local employers and young people to find new pathways for young people to find rewarding careers.
The pilot team wants to engage with those aged 16 to 24 to hear first-hand about what currently works well, and what doesn't.
If successful, the Transition to Work scheme will be introduced across the UK.
Dr Julie Nugent, WMCA's director of productivity and skills, said: "Transition to Work is an ambitious departure from the traditional pathways available to young people after school or college.
"We want to help young people find meaningful, rewarding careers in the West Midlands - but we need to know how they themselves view the help, support and programmes available to them currently.
"We know some young people will have strong opinions on ways post-educational support can be improved - but we need to hear them to understand the issues and work to find new solutions. Some young people may feel provision works very well - we want to hear from them, too.
"This is a really interesting opportunity for young people to engage and help redesign the system in a way that works for them. We want to make sure their views are taken into account, and built upon, to create more robust, practical and successful pathways to help young people find employment and training opportunities after leaving school or college."
The workshops will take place in Chelmsley Wood, Dudley, Sparkhill and Washwood Heath, as follows:
- Three Trees Centre, Hedingham Grove, Chelmsley Wood, Solihull - Wednesday September 26 2018, 10am to 12pm
- The Muath Trust, Bordesley Centre, Stratford Road, Sparkhill - Wednesday September 26 2018, 1pm to 3pm
- Dolphin Women's Centre, Ward End Park, Washwood Heath - Thursday September 27 2018, 10am to 12pm
- Dy1 Community Building, Stafford Street, Dudley - Friday September 28 2018, 10am to 12pm
For more information on the sessions, and to sign up via Eventbrite, visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/youth-employment-uk-cic-6678688841
For more information on the Transition to Work pilot, visit: https://www.wmca.org.uk/what-we-do/productivity-skills/transition-to-work/