Are you a local business leader who wants to attract and retain young talent? Actively support and engage with your local community, and bring fresh thinking and ideas into your business?
If so, then the time has come for you to find out more about the work being done by DYW Forth Valley.
DYW Forth Valley is calling on local businesses to come forward and join them in building partnerships and engaging with local youngsters – the nation’s future workforce.
To achieve this goal, DYW Forth Valley can facilitate a bespoke approach which will suit individual business wishing to get involved and become a part of a network of local companies already giving help and support to youngsters as they stand on the threshold of taking their first steps on their chosen career path.
DYW – Developing the Young Workforce – is the Scottish Government’s youth employment strategy to help prepare youngsters for the world of work, and DYW Forth Valley offers support and guidance as to how a local business can participate, which includes: partnering with a school or college; providing career and sector insight for pupils, teachers and parents; supporting skills development; offering work experience or mentoring opportunities; offering site visits or masterclasses and supporting the apprenticeship family.
DYW Regional Groups were established to bridge the gap between education and employers. In Forth Valley, with many successful partnerships and initiatives already up and running, DYW recognise the need to do more, and help other employers enjoy the benefits from supporting and employing young people. The DYW Programme Team aim to make the process as simple as possible, connecting businesses with education for the benefit of all involved.
This will ensure that young people are equipped with the skills, experiences and qualifications they need to move to positive destinations after school, can make informed choices about the jobs and careers they want to pursue and harness an emerging talent pool for employers to attract the next generation workforce into their industry.
For those local businesses which are already on board with the project, the experience has been rewarding and insightful.
Businesses such as Ceteris, Macdonald Hotels and Resorts, Drummond Laurie, Robertson Group, Link Living and Sales Agility are already actively involved in reaching out to local youngsters, giving school talks, organising mock interviews and Dragon’s Den type events.
“I’ve always been passionate about bringing youngsters into the hospitality industry,” said Brett Ingle, Cluster General Manager at Macdonald Hotels & Resorts.
“Working with the DYW team has enabled us to engage in a variety of ways with young people while they are still in school.
“Young people are now more aware of the range of careers that exist within our sector.”
Businesses such as Drummond Laurie have outlined some of the benefits of engaging with local school pupils and students, which include:
- Creative business solutions and fresh ideas
- Develop a talent pipeline
- Sustainability
- Raised profile
- Increased profit
- Staff development
Julie McVicar, of Drummond Laurie, said: “I think that in all businesses working with young people is a good thing.
“They bring life and enthusiasm to the business.
“At Drummond Laurie we have quite a young office. A lot of our management team are young people. We see the young generation as the future of our business, and if they come with a keenness to learn, then we can provide them with the support for studying and practical work experience.”
Would you like to get involved? It is easier than you think.
No matter what your reasons for getting involved are, we can support you in developing a partnership with one school, or multiple schools across a local authority or region.
If you would like to discuss getting involved please email getinvolved@dyw.forthvalley.ac.uk
For more information, please visit: www.dywforthvalley.com
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