Parliamentary Event on Employability
18 July 2014
Friday 18 July
On Tuesday 15th July, London Youth hosted our first ever Parliamentary reception in the House of Commons. The purpose of the day was to share with policy makers the learning from our employability programme, Talent Match London.
We had young speakers from across the partnership who shared their experiences of youth employment and of the programme so far. The speeches were all truly inspiring, and did a fantastic job of informing MP’s and employers of the benefits of using a partnership approach and offering personalised support on a young person’s journey into work.
Marie, a member of the Talent Match London Youth board, described the significance of the youth-led approach behind Talent Match London, as it is “by, with, and for young people”. This approach was applauded by Meg Hillier, MP for Hackney South and Shoreditch, who believes in championing young people to make their own decisions.
Our engagement with young people, members of the voluntary sector, the private sector and the statutory sector ensures that the programme benefits from all of the expertise and experience from all groups, which was explained by Talent Match London’s Youth Board member Jamel.
Representing the private sector, Jamie O’ Hara from TfL explained the important role of employer engagement in an employability programme, a central pillar of our programme. He gave an inspiring speech about how important it is for employers to have a real perspective of the barriers young people face and the benefits of having a programme that encourages young people to develop a career path instead of a job.
“We need young people, more than ever, to help us – and London – support that growth and that’s the real benefit of this programme – leaving a legacy and putting young people on the road to positive opportunities”. – Jamie O’Hara, TfL
The delivery partners, were represented by young people on the programme, youth board members and delivery staff from all of our six lead partners: Collage Arts, Community Links, Hackney CVS, Gingerbread, The Prince’s Trust and 3SC.
It was vital that all young people were widely represented at the event on Tuesday, as youth involvement is an important aspect of our programme. The young people on the different youth boards ensure that the programme remains youth-led throughout and that young people are at the heart of the delivery. They also carry out local outreach for the programme, Hackney CVS have Hackney Scouts who carry out outreach within Hackney and ensure that local young people are aware of the opportunities that the programme can offer.
Jace, a Talent Match London Youth Board member, explained the five pillars of the programme, especially the importance of personalised one-to-one support. Young people then undergoing the programme explained how the programme had been of benefit to them:
Lisa:“Talent Match London has helped me to improve my employability skills and has boosted my confidence”.
De Andra:“There's too many people telling young people what to do, not listening to what they want to do and Talent Match London is that listening ear” .
We are really pleased that the event gave young people the chance to network and engage with employers and MPs and highlighted the importance of having a youth-led, partnership approach to employability.
