Scottish Careers Week can help businesses find the perfect employee

SKILLS Development Scotland is calling on employers across the country to get involved with Scottish Careers Week.

The annual event – now in its third year – takes place from 13-17 November and is designed to promote the support available to parents, carers and young people looking for career inspiration and help, as well as adults already in work who might want to forge a new path for themselves.

Businesses of all sizes have the opportunity to play a role and support is available for those looking to get involved.

Sharon McIntyre, Head of Career Information, Advice and Guidance (CIAG) at SDS, said: “With cost-of-living pressures, the climate emergency, an ageing population, and advancing technologies all changing how we work and the type of work we do, it’s never been more important to help people of all ages access and understand the opportunities out there, and the support that is available to them.”

More than 200 events took place across Scotland during last year’s event, ranging from dedicated career fairs in the islands to pop-up careers offices appearing at foodbanks. SDS hope to build on that success with the support of employers.

From organising industry-specific career events to visiting local schools and offering work placement experiences and even individual mentoring support, there are plenty of ways employers can help people reach their full potential in the world of work.

Sharon said there are many benefits for businesses who take part in Scottish Careers Week, and they go way beyond just corporate and social responsibility. She added: “Employers can use the event as a platform to identify and recruit potential candidates for their current and future job openings, which is so important right now with talent acquisition being so competitive. 

“Businesses can also showcase their company culture, which can help attract candidates aligned with their own values and style of working.

“Taking part in Scottish Careers Week can also enhance their brand recognition, reputation and company visibility, as well as offer the opportunity to network with other employers and build relationships that can lead to collaboration and partnership, and even leads and referrals, to help grow their business.”

According to Sharon, one of the key benefits of getting involved is being able to contribute to skills planning and education, and helping to shape a highly skilled and prepared workforce.

She said: “Employers can also get access to invaluable career insights and intelligence into the dreams, goals and aspirations of young people as emerging professionals, helping them tailor their recruitment strategies, and plug any skills gaps which are holding them back.”

But perhaps the most important win of being involved in something like Scottish Careers Week relates to equality and diversity. 

The senior careers leader says that promoting equality, diversity and inclusivity (ED&I) is important for businesses to not only improve industry performance and reputation, but also to widen the talent pool which can help fill sectoral gaps. 

Although much has been done to improve ED&I performance in Scotland, it remains a significant concern for Scotland’s young people. Recent research carried out by SDS found that nearly a third of disabled young adults, and nearly a third of care-experienced young people, still perceive discrimination as a major barrier to employment.

The study also found that the sectors young people consider going into also vary vastly by gender, with males considering careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) and sport, and females considering jobs in the caring world or creative sectors.

Sharon added: “Diversity is crucial for creativity, social justice and the bottom line. Scottish Careers Week is the perfect opportunity for employers to demonstrate their commitment to that by participating in events that emphasize equal opportunity and fair hiring practices. It’s a chance for business to reassure these young people, that despite their fears and perceptions, discriminatory practices are not the norm.

“Great career support helps people find their passion and thrive. It showcases exciting future opportunities in Scotland’s key industries, matching employers with local talent, and makes a real and lasting difference. Scottish Career Week shines a spotlight on everyone that supports those making that difference including Scottish employers.”

More information about Scottish Careers Week: “Shape Your Future” can be found online at myworldofwork.co.uk/scottish-careers-week, and by searching for #ScotCareersWeek23 on social media.

• A free webinar for employers covering all the recent research about young people undertaken by SDS will take place during Scottish Careers Week in partnership with the Scottish Chambers of Commerce. Called Career choices: collaborating to inform the next generation, it takes place on Tuesday 14 November at 10.30am. Register at bit.ly/nextgencareerchoices

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Opinions of young people will help educate advisors

A COLLABORATIVE event to support Scottish Careers Week will share latest insight from Scotland’s young people with those who help, guide and advise them. 

The Understanding Young People and Career Ambitions webinar on Tuesday, 14 November is for everyone from across the careers ecosystem, including those working in education, colleges, universities, Developing the Young Workforce, Skills Development Scotland, local authority employability and youth work. 

Mina Ahmed of Rosshall Academy is advised on her future career options

All those working in this field are part of the Career Services Collaborative; recognising that they all must play a vital role in leading the change, innovation and improvement required to deliver the new vision for Scotland’s Career Services that emerged from the recent Career Review.

To foster shared understanding across the Collaborative, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) will present research around young people’s influences, motivations, views and perceptions of careers and career ambitions.

The aim of the free one-hour session is to better equip everyone supporting young people, help them in developing their services and gain their input into how future research is shaped to continue to strengthen their offer.  

The webinar will present the views of young people from S1 to senior phase of school and immediate post-school through headline findings from a range of SDS-led nationwide research.

This includes the Young People in Scotland research published last month which found that when considering their future careers, good pay was by far the most important factor for young people, with job satisfaction a distant second. 

Young people are also influenced by their strengths and interests when considering what to do after school.

Over 1500 young people participated in the research, which also found that being hard working and having the right qualifications are what young people think employers are most looking for from their employees.

Young people also reported that parents had a big influence on career choices. 40 per cent said they were influenced by what their parents did for a living, with the same number also being influenced by their parents’ opinion of future career choices.

The session will cover this and other research conducted by SDS before inviting feedback on how this evidence and insight can support the delivery of services and what else can be included into research work to best serve young people. 

The webinar will be hosted by Interim Chair of the Career Services Collaborative, Graeme Smith. 

Graeme said: “This event fits perfectly with the ethos of the Career Services Collaborative. By sharing knowledge across partners it will drive conversation that will shape future research and ultimately help them to deliver impactful career services fully informed by the views of the young people who use them.

“The session will meet the needs of those advising, supporting and working directly with young people on a daily basis as well as those in leadership and strategic roles.”

• The Understanding Young People and Career Ambitions webinar takes place on Tuesday, 14 November from 4.15pm to 5.15pm. To find out more about this and other Scottish Careers Week events, visit sds.co.uk/scottish-careers-week-events
   
• This article was brought to you in association with Skills Development Scotland