Every year Youth Careers Collective works with and supports over 6000 young people, prioritising those experiencing barriers to entering employment. Young people, however are not simply recipients of our services, they are vital to how we operate as an organisation and are central to us understanding local need and deciding how best to respond.
Who we support
The reasons for a young person to become ‘Not in Employment Education of Training’ are often varied and complex, but we know that those experiencing particular barriers to entering work are most likely to find themselves neither earning or learning. We therefore direct our services and support where they are most needed, which includes, but is not limited to, young people:
- on Free School Meals and/or Pupil Premium
- with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
- attending Alternative Provisions and Special Schools
- with experience of Local Authority Care
- with caring responsibilities
- experiencing racial discrimination
Further, those experiencing multiple barriers (known as compound disadvantage), for example with Special Education Needs and economic deprivation, are even more likely to become ‘Not in Employment Education of Training’.
For more on the young people we work with and why please read this paper.
Our Young Associates
Youth Careers Collective has made a commitment to empower and centre young people in the solutions to these challenges.
Our network of Young Associates is made up of young people from our target communities, many of whom have taken part in our programmes. They are vital to how we operate as a charity and are central to us understanding local need and deciding how best to respond.
These brilliant young people inform our strategy, co-design programmes, represent the charity and our work, and direct our priorities. They are paid the London Living Wage for their time.
We are growing our network of Young Associates, ensuring they are central to our decision-making and strategy implementation at every level.
We will pro-actively advocate for ensuring our partners listen to and engage young people, shifting power to enable them to direct and effect real change.
If you would like to find out more about becoming a Young Associate with Youth Careers Collective, please e-mail meganwright@youthcareers.org.uk
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Join our Collective
There are many ways you can make a positive contribution to the Collective, creating shared solutions that support young people with barriers to entering employment.
Click below to let us know how you might like to get involved and we’ll be in touch with you very soon.
