Some people live for work, others work to live. For those lucky enough to be in a job they enjoy, work can be rewarding, satisfying and often part of a varied career. For others, work is just a job – a way to make money and little more.

For others still, a job is even more important than that; it offers an alternative path to a life of serious violence. Employment can quite simply be a lifeline.

At Catch22, we run a range of services that support young people who are at risk of falling victim to exploitation or gang activity. And some of the people we work with are already trapped in a viscous cycle of violent crime.  Often there are many factors at play; a troubled family life, poor educational attainment, or any manner of adverse childhood experiences. It’s important to try and address those individual needs as early as possible (of course prevention is always better than cure) and divert these young people away from a path that may result in serious violence.

Securing a sustainable job plays a major part in that – and businesses can play a vital role in giving young people that first opportunity. More often that not, the rewards on both sides are high.

We’ve recently teamed up with The Prince’s Trust and Apprentice Nation to deliver major contract to help up to 1,500 young people who at risk of serious violence, move closer to work. The programme, funded by the Home Office, is heavily focused on individualised support and the provision of high-quality wraparound support. We know from a recent Movement to Work survey that 68% of participants who receive this kind of help sustain their placements and move into work, compared to 32% who don’t.

As part of the Creating Opportunities  programme, we’ll be providing participants with one-to-one support from a dedicated Careers Coach, a personalised support package (tailored workshops to help with employability skills, job search skills, work experience) as well help addressing barriers including health and wellbeing, independent living, housing, and developing life skills. There will be rewards through Apprentice Nation’s online platform and financial support with a personalised budget to help participants reach their career goals.  And all participants will get priority access to the existing programmes that Catch22 and The Prince’s Trust run – including employability support, mentoring and entrepreneurship.

Crucially too, we provide a further 6 months of support once the participant has secured a new job or apprenticeship. We’ve found from experience of running other employability programmes that continuing to provide support in those initial months has a real bearing on how the employee settles in and means that the transition between job seeking and being in a job is as smooth as possible.

The success of the programme will rely on us working with businesses of all sizes who are looking to recruit young people, and are open to considering those who may be facing challenges in the lives and perhaps don’t have the experience or educational attainment that

Unfortunately, recruitment processes often lend themselves to shortlisting candidates who look best on paper – who have a polished CV, decent qualifications and a strong cover letter. Most application processes don’t give room (certainly not early on), for candidates to demonstrate their enthusiasm, loyalty and desire to do well, which in many cases might be more valuable to an employer than how many GCSEs they have. In fact, we find that many of the young people we work with who don’t necessarily have the best qualifications on paper, with the right support become first rate employees.

And very often we find that some of the best roles for young people to gain practical experience and build skills are in small and medium sizes companies, rather than larger organisations. Employees benefit from being a key player from the start and are given more responsibility more quickly than if they were in a bigger company.  The benefits to the organisations themselves can also be sizeable, with the opportunity to nurture talent and to develop roles to meet business need.

Appointing someone to a role and seeing them flourish is clearly good for business. It is also hugely satisfying as an employer. That satisfaction is even greater when the person is someone who, without a job and without the support of an employability programme and a committed employer, could have easily fallen into a life of crime and violence. For these young people, a job is so much more than just a job; it can be a real life-changer.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the Creating Opportunities programme and how your business can get involved, you can read more here and get in touch!

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Preventing serious violence through employment

It’s no secret that digital skills are becoming an increasingly important part of the skillset required to secure a job.

Recent analysis reveals that 75% of roles at all levels require essential digital skills – such as being able to use basic productivity tools, like being able to use spreadsheets and databases, online meeting tools and any basic software required for the specific job.

Yet 21% of the UK population are without these basic digital skills. It’d be easy to assume the majority of those are older people who haven’t grown up with technology and the internet, and perhaps have little motivation to learn new digital skills. To a certain extent that’s true, and yet there remains around 300,000 people under the age of 24 who lack basic digital skills and of those, the vast majority are already facing multiple disadvantages.

A growing digital economy

When you move beyond the basics, and into tech-enabled jobs and more high-end tech roles, the digital divide inevitably becomes even more pronounced. Jobs in the tech sector have grown 36% since the lockdown peak and the upward trend looks set to continue. Tech is becoming more and more important to the UK economy. In their latest report, Tech Nation says that the contribution of tech to the UK economy has grown on average by 7% per year since 2016.

Not only does a lack of digital skills restrict job opportunities, but it also has an impact on earnings whilst in a job. Roles requiring digital skills carry a significant salary advantage. Overall, roles requiring digital skills pay 29% more than those that do not (£37,000 p.a. vs £28,700 p.a.). That differential increases at higher levels. The salary differential for digital skills ranges from £2,700 for low-skill jobs (£24,000 vs £21,300) to £11,300 for high-skill jobs (£45,300 vs £34,000).

Widening disadvantage

Why does this matter? Put simply, being without digital skills widens disadvantage. It makes it even harder for those already facing barriers to work to find employment – and crucially to find sustainable employment. And it means that significant numbers of people are being excluded from a job market increasingly dominated by tech-enabled roles.

At Catch22, we work with hundreds of people a year – many of them young people – who are struggling to find work. We provide practical support such as CV writing, preparing for interviews and building confidence in order to help our service users find jobs that match their aspirations.  Boosting digital skills is key; we assess the training needs of participants across our programmes and ensure they have access to the required courses and packages so they are appropriately digitally skilled.

Beyond the basics

We also run two programmes specifically designed to support young people into tech-enabled apprenticeships and jobs. Our Digital Edge (funded by Microsoft) and Digital Leap (funded by Salesforce) programmes, work with individuals facing barriers to work – whether that’s due to gender, health status, or the fact they’re care leavers or single parents. They focus on building digital skills to equip participants to land entry level IT and other digital vacancies – and offering digital career advice and networking opportunities.

Both programmes also work closely with employers, to identify what support they may need in diversifying their workforce and hiring people who have the skillset. With two thirds of businesses in the UK having unfilled digital skills vacancies, and 95% of businesses expecting their digital skills needs to grow, close links between business and digital skills programmes are vital.

These programmes are both popular and effective, not least because they are bridging the gap between essential digital skills and roles in the tech industry.

Honing digital skills

Another of our flagship programmes – The Social Switch Project – provides training to young Londoners who have an interest in digital careers and already have good basic skillsets. It hones their skills through digital skills training and promotes online creativity, equipping them to become social media managers (or equivalent roles). Programmes like this are vital to ensure young people’s aptitude for all things digital is channelled into helping them into sustainable careers.

We’re acutely aware that in order to be active and progress in a digital economy, there’s a requirement to have more than just basic level digital skills.

Digital skills in your business

Many businesses are investing heavily in digital skills training for their employees, and many more are recruiting for digitally-focussed roles. From our experience working with candidates and businesses, two key points stand out.

Firstly, we work with people who have struggled to get good grades at school. They may not have been to college or have many formal qualifications. Often this is due to circumstances far beyond their control. However, their aptitude, enthusiasm and commitment is in many cases unrivalled. Especially when it comes to digital roles, we would urge businesses to look beyond what’s on a CV and be open to candidates who may not have come down a traditional route.

Secondly, embracing digital technology, whatever industry you’re in, is becoming unavoidable. And finding the right technology, and the right people to use it most effectively, is vital to success. If you’re looking to recruit, there are many excellent pre-employability programmes focussing on digital skills and training young people to harness their tech-savviness and forge successful careers.

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Digital skills for a digital world

As the country returns to some degree of normality, so the drive to create jobs and tackle the current high levels of unemployment steps up a gear.

For businesses, this cross-roads raises many questions; is now the right time to be investing in staff for the future? What schemes are out there to support businesses looking to take on new staff and get back on track? And how should all this be navigated within an environment of uncertainty?

The Government mantra of ‘Building Back Better’ is well worn and for many businesses may seem a little over ambitious. After all, surely most would be content with ‘Building Back’ – at least in the short term.

But as challenging as it may be, there is a strong argument for thinking beyond the immediate months ahead. Firstly, because of the plethora of Governments schemes and incentives in place to support businesses with their recruitment needs. And secondly, because if the pandemic has shown anything, it’s that people are what makes businesses a success; and investing in them is key.

Apprenticeships

Significant funds have been directed towards incentivising apprenticeships. Employers can claim a £3,000 government grant for taking on an apprentice, and those businesses that do are rewarded with employees committed to the cause and with a developing skillset fit for the business. Yet recent government figures show that the number of people starting apprenticeships has dropped by 19 per cent since this time last year. And even more worryingly, less than a quarter of starts so far in 2020-21 have been among the under-19s.

It’s understandable that businesses are cautious about recruiting given the uncertainties of the current climate. But for those looking to build a workforce shaped around business need, with a focus on youth and sustainability, then apprenticeships are an excellent option. Apprentices train on the job and can add a huge amount to companies looking to build back better.

For example at Catch22 we’ve recently launched our hospitality apprenticeship offer – Step22 – alongside some big hospitality names including Compass Group, Diageo and Hej! Coffee. Using the apprenticeship levy, we work with businesses of all sizes to source and train great staff in the hospitality sector – a sector which is only set to grow as we emerge from the pandemic.

SMEs who aren’t large enough to pay the apprenticeship levy can benefit from levy-transfer – where they pair up with large organisations who have a levy underspend. Some of that underspend can then be transferred to the SME to spend on apprentices. That mechanism, coupled with the financial support currently available from government to take on apprentice, makes now as good a time as any to explore this option.

Pre-apprenticeship and pre-employability programmes

Taking on someone who hasn’t had experience in the sector or role to which your recruiting is inevitably a risk. But the growth in pre-employability programmes increasingly means young people are able to skill up and get job-ready  – equipping them well for that first employment opportunity. At Catch22 we deliver digital skills training programmes with our partners Microsoft and Salesforce, general employability skills through Barclays Connect with Work and our newly launched Horizons employability programme supported by J P Morgan and Chase is initially aiming to place 400 people into meaningful jobs who currently face barriers to work.

All these programmes work with businesses of all sizes looking to recruit new talent into their workplace – with the knowledge that their person they take on with have been prepared for the job and will be continued to be supported during the first 6 months of their role.

Kickstart

The government’s flagship youth employment scheme – Kickstart – offers 16–24-year-olds currently on Universal Credit and at risk of long-term unemployment a six-month paid placement for 25 hours a week, and a salary at the National Minimum Wage or higher (dependent on their age). This has the potential to make a real difference to young people, but uptake from businesses so far has been relatively low. The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) found that only 16 per cent of firms surveyed would be looking to take up the Kickstart scheme.

Partly this low uptake may be due to a lack of awareness of the scheme and how it works or the fact that the roles have to be new. But again, Kickstart – if done well – can not only give young people a step onto the employment ladder but can be hugely beneficial to businesses.

Key to the success of Kickstart from both the employee and the employer side is suitability and sustainability. Suitability in the sense of making sure that the candidate matches the role; that they are properly supported before they apply and while they’re in post, and that there is match between business need and employee skillset. Sustainability in the sense that placements are not just for short-term projects that end after 6 months and leave the candidate back on the job market. Roles that evolve over the 6 months and result in permanent posts, or equip young people with the skills to progress onto another meaningful role, will benefit industry and individuals alike.

There are many good Kickstart gateway providers, such as Kickstart Community, taking this exact approach – supporting candidates and employers before and during placements. SMEs can work with these providers to increase the likelihood of their placements being successful.

Restart

The Restart Programme is aimed at individuals who have been out of work for longer periods – and is kicking off on 28^th June. Across UK regions, there will be a number of providers working with individuals (referred through Job Centre Plus) to equip them with the skills and confidence to secure a job. A key part of Restart will be working with local businesses across all industries to place candidates into suitable roles – so from July, there will opportunities for businesses to recruit directly from Restart in their local area.

Determining the best path for your business needs isn’t easy, and the range of options available adds another layer of complexity. But there is support out there. Attracting the best talent and retaining that talent has always been important for business; and now perhaps, it’s more important than ever.

Read more:
What does Building Back Better really mean for SMEs?