Month: June 2023

Businesses who are already engaged with DYW and businesses who are interested in supporting young people were invited to attend and network on arrival then DYW Tay Cities delivered a presentation on the activities business can support, how to sign up to YPG and some of our successes over the last year.

Then a panel session with Q&A from the audience commenced. On the panel was Mark Fleming from Dundee City Council who discussed in further detail how businesses can support work experience placements. Lucinda Mason from Dundee & Angus College who discussed the apprenticeship programme and Susan Burgess & Jess Miller from MCR pathways who discussed mentoring.

The event saw success with attendance from around 30 people from 15 local business around the Tay Region.

There was some wonderful discussion around the challenges businesses can face when supporting young people and how they could be better supported by the DYW Team and Supporting agencies in order to deliver more opportunities for young people.

The event was a good use of time to encourage new businesses to engage with DYW through hearing about the varying different activities they can support whilst also getting to hear from businesses who are actively engaged and take on their suggestions. Businesses who are actively engaged found this a great event to share best practice with other businesses and share both challenges and successes.

Lucinda Mason - D&A College “It was great to meet lots of inspiring people this morning at the DYW networking event, and even better to listen to all the great ideas and questions floating around. Food for thought for sure. We need more of this going forward. These opportunities for collaboration are so helpful and can only help us to make even better decisions to support our young people!”

Hillcrest has committed to the Young Person’s Guarantee and pledged to invest in a skilled workforce through preparing young people for the world of work and creating opportunities for those who face the most significant barriers.

Minister for Higher Education, Further Education, Youth Employment and Training Jamie Hepburn MSP, was able to meet and interact with the group of apprentices who work in a number of areas including IT, finance, maintenance, human resources and administration in Hillcrest Homes workforce.

Mr. Hepburn had the opportunity to hear from the apprentices about their journey so far and learn more about the future plans to develop the Young Person’s Guarantee. Mr Hepburn commented “It has been hugely encouraging to hear how the young people at Hillcrest are being given immense support in their roles".

Lesley Don, Hillcrest director of corporate services added “Young people are the future of businesses like ours and we need to do as much as we can to create an inclusive workplace that promotes opportunities for them to explore and succeed on their chosen paths.

“Over the last year, we have successfully recruited 10 new apprentices across our business, 30 school students have had work experience placements and three career ready students completed a four week internship. We have recruited a dedicated Apprenticeship Development Officer to ensure that we are delivering opportunities that meet the needs of young people and support them to be successful and experience positive outcomes.”

The Young Person’s Guarantee is a commitment to bring together employers, partners and young people. It aims to connect every 16 to 24 year old in Scotland to an opportunity. This could be a job, apprenticeship, further or higher education, training or volunteering. More than 500 Scottish employers have signed up to the Young Person’s Guarantee since it was launched.

Lisa Laidlaw our Regional lead was delighted to share details of the national and local DYW offer and the impact our DYW employer led programme has in supporting young people develop skills and achieve positive destinations. Our visitors were interested in the partnerships we have developed and the opportunities that young people have to learn about the world of work.

Laura Rhoney, Chief Operating Officer at Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce explained how the DYW team and the Chamber work in close partnership to promote school employer activities and partnerships. Our visitors also learned about the Young Person's Guarantee and the benefits to employers committing to the 5 asks. Ahmed and Ameera were interested in the ways in which employers benefit from being involved with the DYW programme including the impact that working with young people at an early stage can have on their talent pipeline.

Our visitors enjoyed a visit to Grove Academy and met with Mr Hutton, Head Teacher and Jenna Lees, DYW School Coordinator. They were able to explain how DYW is integrated into the curriculum and how all young people are given the opportunity find the right individual career path. Our visitors were impressed to hear first hand from young people who attend Grove Academy about the benefits and impact of their experience and how work related learning opportunities have helped them on their learner journey and on their career pathway.

Our visitors enjoyed a visit to Grove Academy and met with Mr Hutton, Head Teacher and Jenna Lees, DYW School Coordinator. They were able to explain how DYW is integrated into the curriculum and how all young people are given the opportunity find the right individual career path. Our visitors were impressed to hear first hand from young people who attend Grove Academy about the benefits and impact of their experience and how work related learning opportunities have helped them on their learner journey and on their career pathway.