We aim to provide around 80 work placements in partnership with MtW for young people who are not in education, employment or training over the next year.
At YHA, our aim is to transform young lives through travel and adventure, and we’re partnering with UK work-placement charity, Movement to Work (MtW), to provide work placements and other job opportunities for young people.
We already provide work placements through our network of 153 youth hostels and our head office in Matlock, Derbyshire, but we want to widen our reach and have greater impact by using MtW’s network to share experience and best practice.
Through MtW, we aim to provide around 80 placements each year across our administrative functions and hostels. Many of these will lead to jobs within YHA. Where positions are not available, the experience and training will help young people find employment elsewhere.
The partnership with MtW is one of a number of things we plan on developing ahead of the launch of our new 10-year strategy in 2020. The strategy will see us work with a range of partners to support our shared goal to improve health, bring communities together, promote diversity and inclusion and improve the life-chances of those at a disadvantage.
MtW is a collaboration of UK employers which tackle long-term youth unemployment through high-quality work experience and other opportunities. 80,000 work placements have been made possible by employers, charities and government working together through MtW; 50% of those completing placements have taken up meaningful careers or gone back into education.
MtW’s employer members include Accenture, BAE Systems, Barclays, BT, BUPA, Centrica, the Department for Work and Pensions, Diageo, HSBC, Marks and Spencer, Marriott International, NHS, Tesco, Unilever and Wates, among others.
Our purpose is to help all, especially young people of limited means. Our workforce comprises many young people; 35% are under 26. We work with schools, further education providers and youth charities to provide opportunities to build life skills and improve employability. Historically this has been through volunteering, apprenticeships and work-experience as well as jobs at YHA. Our hostel placements help young people develop valuable life skills, to help them live independently while our volunteering programmes have been structured to enable young people gain the skills employers’ need.
Working with MtW, employers create work experience placements for unemployed young people between 16-30 years of age, particularly those who have been out of work, education or training for some time. MtW works with charity partners that specialise in supporting people and addressing specific barriers to work, including long-term unemployment, homelessness, mental health and young offenders. These charities provide a pipeline of young people who will benefit from a work placement.
James Ashall, Movement to Work’s chief executive, said: “No matter how many employment records are broken, youth unemployment remains stubbornly high. And there are thousands of young people who need extra support to get on the employment ladder who haven’t been in employment or training for some time. Employers like YHA help make a difference to so many of these young people who can become loyal, valued employees, who help raise the morale of those already employed.”
James Blake, CEO of YHA (England & Wales), states: “For nearly 90 years YHA has been committed to transforming young lives, whether it’s the lives of those who stay with us or work for us. But there are many young people who face particular challenges to getting jobs and it is absolutely key that society strives for new ways to support them into secure careers. Through YHA and Movement to Work placements they can build ambition, have a more positive outlook and show their true talent. We feel passionately about being part of the vision for civil society. By partnering with MtW we can help unemployed young people gain meaningful work experience and training that will help them have access to many more opportunities.”
