Youth-led research made
this possible
Youth Take Over is the result of the research paper, "How Work Works: getting young people into employment in our growing industries".
This youth-led research found that there is entry-level work in our region, employers need younger people to replace retiring workforces and most are willing to train people on the job. The research also found that young people’s interests align with the jobs on offer.
But employers reported skill shortages and recruitment challenges. Young people do not know about the opportunities because they are not hearing about pathways in school, have little chance to meet employers, and are faced with a complex process to find work that is difficult to navigate if you don’t know how it operates.
Additionally, employers report that the fundamental building block for a successful career—and the first thing they look for on a CV—is experience. Experience teaches young people how to work in a team and hones people, communication and organisational skills. But COVID-19 has taken away a cohort of young people’s ability to get that experience through school placements, part-time work, community activity, and entry-level jobs post-school.
Enter Youth Take Over.
Responding to one of the five recommendations to come out of the How Work Works report, Youth Take Over supports young people who may find themselves unemployed in their first year out of school, or those who are unsure of their post-school destination, to build pathways to employment in an industry that interests them (and for that industry to in turn meet and learn from young people).
Working closely with four Local Learning and Employment Networks, Youth Take Over responds to the needs of a range of communities to develop place-based initiatives, building an exciting and innovative youth employment support system long term that offers opportunities to every young person having difficulty working out what to do after school.
Outcomes:
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give young people the work experience, skills (teamwork, project management, organisation skills) and industry contacts that research shows are vital to them overcoming disadvantage in the labour market. They will be trained and mentored by community and industry experts so they can plan and deliver their project, while learning about the industry and the jobs within it as they go.
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give employers a chance to see their business from a youth perspective and fresh ideas. Take Overs and other initiatives will allow industry to build a pipeline to young people and their families, to help them engage with a younger customer base.
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embed capacity across our communities and industries, to create a better, flexible, locally designed youth unemployment support system for our region, long term. As we expand, we want to see every young person who participates offered a guarantee of support to set them up for life.
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employment for at least 50 young people.
