22 . Glasgow Business June 2015
YOUTH AT HEART OF OUR PLAN
Chamber’s existing focus on helping local youth find employment made it perfect partner for government
G
lasgow Chamber of Commerce is trailblazing a Scotish Government initiative to improve opportunities for young people.
It will put into practice recommendations
from Sir Ian Wood’s Developing Scotland’s Future Workforce Report calling for greater input and influence from industry into education and careers for young people. Glasgow Chamber was already ahead of the
curve with its innovative Youth Employment Action Group and was working on the 13 recommendations published by the group. Te strong synergy between the local and
national recommendations led to Glasgow Chamber hosting Scotland’s first Developing the Young Workforce group (formerly known as the Regional Invest in Youth Group). Since the announcement in February,
Glasgow Chamber has moved quickly to recruit a four-person team for the programme that seeks to improve links between education and the world of work. Te new team involves three members
moving from other roles within Glasgow Chamber and the recruitment of one new staff member. Tey have already begun working with the
business community and partners in local government to facilitate engagement between employers and education as recommended by the Commission’s report (see page 24). Te programme of work will focus on two
key areas: geting more young people into jobs and increasing employer engagement with the education system. Tis will include activity related to work experience, modern apprenticeships and mentoring. Te aim is to provide many more young people in the city region with experience and development to help prepare them for employment. In turn, this will provide Glasgow businesses, including Chamber members, with a beter potential workforce on which to draw. Te industry leadership sought by Sir Ian
Wood will be delivered by the existing Glasgow Employer Board and a series of working groups that will be developed to further engagement with partners and stakeholders. Patricia Rainey, Chair of the Glasgow
Employer Board, said: “Tis is an exciting opportunity for Glasgow. Tis project will build on the existing work done by the Employer Board and allow our business community to become more fully engaged with young people in the city.” Te work will involve increasing the
numbers involved in the Schools and Business programme, the number of businesses offering, and the numbers of young people in, Modern Apprenticeships and increased mentoring of young people by those in business. Alison McRae, Projects Director of
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce who is overseeing the initiative, said: “We are delighted to have put a team in place quickly and that they will be able to hit the ground running on such an important project. “Youth employment is one of the biggest
challenges today for the city economy and business. Te jobless rate for young people is higher than for any other group and at the same time many of our members and other businesses find it difficult to find the right recruits to fill vacancies. “We are delighted that we have an existing
network of businesses ready to take part in what is an important project in which we are working along with the Scotish Government.”
Turn to page 24 for more on the Developing the Young Workforce Team>
>
“Youth employment is one of the biggest challenges today for the city economy and business”
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