Outcome 4 - Be ready for the future
What our young people said....
We need a plan to make Preston better and safer for young people. We need people who make decisions to make Preston a place that young people are proud of and want to stay in. There needs to be better activities, more opportunities and good jobs.
Why is this important?
Lancashire 2050 is a shared strategy which sets out the vision and ambition for the county to be seen as the best place to make a home, raise a family, develop a career, do business and grow old.
The Lancashire Skills & Employment Strategic Framework articulates the ambition and plans to enable people to develop their skills throughout their lives, flourish in their chosen career and to develop a highly skilled workforce which in turn will enable businesses and communities to take advantage of a strong and growing regional economy.
The importance of the future workforce is evident within the document, and this is reflected in the views and concerns raised by young people who value education and career opportunities and want support to make informed choices about their pathways into employment and careers.
However Lancashire businesses commonly cite that 'employability skills' are the most important attribute they are looking for in a job candidate and evidence from the Lancashire Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) highlighted the difficulty in finding individuals with the right employability skills.
What is already happening?
Lancashire Careers Hub is supporting all schools in Preston in delivering their activities inline with the 8 Gatsby Benchmarks.
Cornerstone Employers are:
- Helping young people have the opportunities they need to be prepared and inspired for the world of work
- Inspiring students about their sector or industry
- Helping to develop the skills required for the future workforce and build a talent pipeline
- Raising the awareness of career opportunities in key local priority sectors including Energy and Low Carbon, Manufacturing, Tourism, Culture and Place, Food and Agriculture, Digital and Health.
The Work Ready Lancashire approach has been developed following employer feedback.
The common language agreement fosters a unified understanding among young people, educational institutions and employers in Lancashire regarding the essential skills need for employment readiness.
- Organisations are working in partnership to better support those young people who are not in education, employment or training.
- UK Shared Prosperity Fund is supporting Invest in Youth, a programme specifically designed to support young people in Preston aged between 14-24 years.
What are we going to do?
Using the Lancashire Skills and Employment Strategic Framework, organisations will:
Work in partnership to deliver practical preventative interventions on the things that matter to young people, families and the professionals working with them, including:
- Helping young people to take advantages of education pathways available to them
- Helping young people to understand the career pathways and support available to them and providing help for them to access support and opportunities
- Ensuring that young people have good quality employer encounters and work experiences
- Working with businesses and organisations to explore any barriers to them becoming 'youth friendly' employers
- Providing opportunities for young people to volunteer
- Supporting young people to have formal and informal learning opportunities to develop their employability skills and behaviours.
- Supporting entrepreneurial education/activities and helping young people develop new businesses including exploring democratic and inclusive models such as co-operatives and employee-owned businesses.
- Work with young people and help them discover their agency, be involved in problem solving and develop the skills they need to navigate their working life.
- Develop those working with young people with training and awareness sessions so that they can make every contact count and help young people develop the skills they need.