Whilst Covid has impacted everyone, some groups have been affected more disproportionately. 35% of 18-24 year olds have either lost their job or been placed on furlough since the pandemic began. Young people are now 125% more likely to become unemployed than other age groups. In response to this, we launched the ‘Get into Work’ initiative in partnership with Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that is supporting young people into employment through Connectr’s digital mentoring platform.
The mission is delivered by the Jobcentre Plus (JCP), and has launched across the UK including 7 locations in London and Essex, with expansion to new locations taking place in May and June including Rochdale, Manchester, Wolverhampton, Bradford and Liverpool. Currently, there are 21 sectors represented across available mentors from organisations such as Accenture UK, Grant Thornton LLP UK, Cisco UK&I, Skanksa and LinkedIn.
One of our success stories
We are proud to be making a difference. Here is one example of how Get into Work is improving the employment opportunities of young people across the UK.
A young female candidate joined our mentoring platform after 6 months of unemployment, keen to start her career journey again. She was matched with one of our mentors from Accenture UK, Toby. Through the mentoring interactions, it was highlighted that one of the key challenges she was experiencing through job applications was tackling video interviews. Toby was able to support her with the advice and tools to help her overcome this, sharing his expertise around effective presentation delivery. The mentoring support Toby provided, alongside Connectr’s digital upskilling content around preparing for interview, resulted in the young person succeeding at interview stage and securing a job within 4 weeks of joining Connectr’s platform.
“Helping a young person get a job through Connectr was really rewarding – not just in playing some part in their career but in challenging myself to help find solutions.” – Toby Ward, Accenture mentor
Our other young jobseekers have said:
“The mentor section is the best feature on this site in my opinion. It includes mentors with different experiences and job roles that people can get advice from. The mentors will give you guidance on questions that you may not have answers to yet.” – Get into Work Connectr user
Why get involved?
Employers:
- Provide your employees with virtual volunteering opportunities by mentoring young people and helping them to prepare, secure, and succeed in work.
- Employee mentors will receive training and support from Connectr.
- Support regions and communities where you have a physical office or footprint.
- Receive data, insights and impact reporting.
- Directly support and endorse the Kickstart Scheme.
- Make a real difference to the young people who need it most.
Local authorities:
- Provide young people in your local community with ‘always-on’ access to mentors from both regional and national employers.
- Connectr will fully support your JCP Work Coaches and Youth Service Teams with collateral, training and resources to improve the job success rates and wellbeing of the young people disproportionately affected by Covid in your local area.
- The initiative also addresses key priority areas of the forthcoming UK Community Renewal Fund, including Investing in future skills and Supporting people into employment.
Find out more about Get into Work and how your organisation can get involved.