Corporate Ambassador Programme. How do you inspire young people who are not yet in employment to be ready for the world of work?

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1 Corporate Ambassador Programme How do you inspire young people who are not yet in employment to be ready for the world of work? When in employment, how does an employer motivate, engage and inspire its young employees to be able to add value and progress? Evidence has shown that peer-to-peer engagement can really help young people become inspired about their future opportunities. Hearing from Someone like me is a really motivating experience. In a recent survey conducted by Youth Employment UK 60% of young participants told us that they would prefer to hear from young people who can share their personal experiences and advice. Youth Employment UK has run a volunteer Ambassador programme for year olds since 2012 where our Ambassadors have been doing just that. Our Ambassadors are highly engaged, motivated and socially active individuals who want to help tackle a huge social problem of their generation. Our Ambassadors are trained in public speaking, teamwork, event management and mentoring through a comprehensive training, mentoring and support programme. Ambassadors use our national and local platforms to inspire politicians, policy makers, employers, educators and young people alike. The Corporate Ambassador Programme invites employers from across the UK to sponsor a current young employee to join the programme. Participants will not only benefit from the personal development the training and opportunities offer, but they will also be able to use their own employment journey to inspire thousands of other young people, just like them. Employers get more rounded young employees, brand advocates and a powerful driver for retention. Speaking about the Social Action campaign #iwill, Paul Drechsler, President of The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said Social action can help young people develop the skills that businesses need, but which academic standards alone can t provide. The Youth Employment UK Ambassadors demonstrate this perfectly. Many have used the skills and experience they have gained on the programme to move themselves into employment knowing that they have helped other young people along the way. Our programme really does have multiple social benefits. The Corporate Ambassador Programme gives employers an opportunity to support and encourage young people across the UK to fulfill their potential. The programme will deliver a significant return on investment by meeting CSR, PR, Recruitment and People Development agendas.

2 The Importance of the Youth Voice We passionately believe that no work to tackle youth unemployment can be comprehensive without ensuring that the youth voice, their views and concerns, is at its core. We are unique in our demand that decisions are not taken in the absence of young people. Rather, we seek to foster collaboration between business, Government and young people. The decisions made in their name today will have an impact on their lives tomorrow. In addition to the impact that exists when young people are consulted on the services and products that they are to use there is also a very clear case that peer-to-peer engagement has an improved outcome for young people. In a recent Youth Employment UK survey 56.51% of year olds told us that hearing from other young people through articles, events and presentations was of most interest to them. Our Ambassadors are trained and supported to inspire other young people just like them in their communities, across our Youth Membership services and on a national stage. Career management, self-improvement, resilience, drive and community participation are all areas of development our Ambassadors inspire in other young people. In 2016 we plan to expand our reach and network of young people through the Ambassador programme. The Ambassadors Central Role in Youth Employment UK We believe it is our Ambassador programme that makes us unique. We see the enormous potential of young people to take on the responsibility of a mentor role, to provide support and advice for their peers, and to report back to decision-makers on their own experiences. Youth Employment UK s Youth Ambassadors are a dynamic team of volunteers who work together to help us tackle some of the youth employment barriers young people experience. The Youth Ambassador programme is open all year round; we ask for a commitment of just 10 hours a month from our Youth Ambassadors. In exchange we give all the training and mentoring support they need. Youth Ambassadors take part in events, summits and a wide spectrum of projects as well as writing for our website. We try to make sure that all of our Youth Ambassadors are working on projects that are of real interest to them and are constantly developing their employability and work experience skills as well as developing a really useful network of contacts.

3 Some of the activities we ask our Ambassadors to participate in include: Design Blogging or vlogging about their experiences that we can share through our digital and social media Attend events and network with others in the sector that interest them Meet with young people locally and nationally to share skills and advice Attend Parliamentary events to have their say at policy level Represent young people and be Youth Employment UK s Youth Voice The Programme The Corporate Ambassador Programme is designed to provide a platform for young people in employment to use their experience and skills to get actively involved in the issue of youth unemployment. We will work with each of our corporate partners to help them select young employees to participate in the year-long programme. The Corporate Ambassador Programme has been developed with the 6 principles of quality youth social action at its core: Reflective Challenging Youth Led Social Impactful Progressive Embedded Corporate Ambassadors will have a dedicated mentor who supports them through training and personal development so that they can contribute effectively to the work of Youth Employment UK, and maximise the benefit to them. Aims Each Corporate Ambassador will receive comprehensive training to be able to participate in activities, including: Identify local youth employment provision and services Reach out to young people within the area who may be in education, employment, training or NEET and those in particular who are harder to reach

4 Provide inspirational talks sharing personal experiences and careers information through schools, colleges and youth groups Create networking and information sharing opportunities for young people within the area Get involved in writing inspirational and informative content for Youth Employment UK, surveys and think groups Promote Youth Friendly Recruitment practices to employers Support existing youth employment infrastructure with a Youth Voice Represent the views, needs and ambitions of the young people in their communities to the heart of Government Training All Corporate Ambassadors will receive training in the first three months of their time with Youth Employment UK. Once an Ambassador has completed all of their training they will then be available to support the full range of Ambassador Activities. The training consists of modules in the following areas: Induction to Youth Employment UK and youth unemployment Careers Education Delivery Communication & teamwork skills Equality and Diversity Networking Peer Mentoring Public speaking Safeguard Training Social Media/Online presence Team Leadership Using the Youth Employment UK website Writing Content Training will be provided at a weekend residential course, and then be accessible to Ambassadors throughout their programme year through online resources.

5 Our Contract with You Your Commitment We know that for a training and mentoring programme to be successful, it takes time and effort from everyone involved. That is why we set a minimum requirement that each of our Corporate Ambassadors must be allowed to complete. We work within an established structure to ensure that both you, as employers, and your employees gain as much benefit as possible from participating in the programme. In joining the programme, you commit to: Work with the Ambassador Mentor to recruit from internal employees Allow Corporate Ambassadors to have a minimum of 3 days for Youth Employment UK Ambassador Activity over the 12-month period Allow Corporate Ambassadors to reference their employment, training and development (providing support where required) as part of their Activity Promote your commitment to the Corporate Ambassador Programme through external and internal company communications where appropriate Ambassadors Commitment The Ambassador or Ambassadors that join our programme from your organisation will be expected to commit to the programme for 12 months, complete the training that is available and in addition to the 3 days volunteering per year gifted by their employer also contribute to Youth Employment UK in their own time. Throughout the programme and upon completion Ambassadors will be expected to provide an evaluation which will feed in to our Impact Report. Ambassadors who have made an excellent contribution to the work of Youth Employment UK in their 12-month role will be entered into our Annual Awards and invited to become alumni for the programme. Plus One We understand that businesses of all sizes are making substantial efforts to do good within their communities. As part of our work to help companies implement best practice and transform their approach to youth employment, we are committed to identifying those young people who are most

6 at risk from sustained periods of unemployment; those who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). To help combat this urgent problem, we will commit to support one young NEET person by enrolling them in the Corporate Ambassador Programme for every member of staff you enrol. The cost of each staff member you select will also pay for Youth Employment UK to provide the full training programme to those young people most in need of help. Your Investment The Corporate Ambassador Programme runs for 12 months and costs per Ambassador sponsored. After 12 months Corporate Ambassadors are invited to become alumni of Youth Employment UK and you will be able to select a new wave of young Corporate Ambassadors from your staff. Employers who wish to participate in the Corporate Ambassador Programme must be a Community Member of Youth Employment UK which is an annual cost and will allow us to ensure that as an employer you are benefitting from the range of services our Membership offers. In return, we believe we can offer your inspirational young employees the chance to develop highly valuable skills in communication, team-building, leadership and advocacy whilst profiling your organisation as one committed the Youth Friendly Employment agenda. Your staff will contribute to the drive to transform the way that young people transition from education to the world of work. Representing your business, they will help policy-makers hear the youth voice on matters that are crucial to their future. Next Steps The recruitment process for the 2016 Ambassador Programme runs from January to March Ambassadors will then undertake their training together at our camp in early April. Should your organisation wish to join the Corporate Ambassador Programme please contact ljr@yeuk.org.uk or call

7 Our Background Youth Employment UK is the leading campaigning and membership organisation dedicated to tackling youth unemployment in the UK. Youth Employment UK was set up to support all of those working in the youth employment space, including young people who we feel should be at the heart of the work taking place in this sector. Our key objectives are: SINCE 2012 Young People To provide a platform for young people to have a voice on youth employment issues that affect them. To empower young people to use the information and inspiration available to them and to develop their skills and networks to help them progress. To support organisaitons working in the youth employment space by providing an impartial platform for them to communicate, share best practice and network. To campaign and influence policy on the issues and barriers that affect our members. Youth Employment UK now has a growing reach of 12, year olds who access our online platform and social community. We also have created a UK wide network of volunteer Youth Ambassadors who support the work we do in a number of ways. Our Ambassadors represent our young members at policy meetings, conferences and in community events. In 2016 Youth Employment UK launched a Corporate Ambassador Programme giving our Community Members an incredible opportunity to support and inspire a generation of young people. Organisations Youth Employment UK has developed a unique Community Membership where organisations can network together, access support and share their own best practice and opportunities. Organisations who join Youth Employment UK must be committed to working to the principles of being a Youth Friendly Employer.

8 Expertise and Political Work Youth Employment UK is the Secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Youth Employment, this is a very active group which meets monthly to discuss the issues of youth employment. Our Community and Young Members are all invited to attend these meetings. Our role with the APPG brings our expertise to the hub of youth policy-making. We use every opportunity possible to ensure that youth voices are heard by those who make decisions on their future; our Ambassadors have raised their views at APPG meetings, and discussed their experiences with Government Ministers. Youth Employment UK also works closely with Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education and Department for Business. With working links to the Cabinet Office and the Skills Funding Agency. Our CEO also sits on a number of expert panels which include two national subcommittees for European Social Fund.