Welcome New Members and an Update for Late July, 2015

Hello Everyone

Welcome as always to new members who have joined for late July 2015. As you can see, Let's Build Bridges is a Forum, to create opportunities for young people and for adults.

To keep it simple, this blog will tell new members all they need to know about what has been discussed.

If any young people are looking for voluntary work experience, then Lee Willows, the Founder of Young Gamblers Education Trust, has offered placements, and can be contacted on the LinkedIn page:

https://www.linkedin.com/grp/home?gid=5133737

For skills and qualifications for non-graduates, I have been speaking to The Princes Trust's Outreach Team, and they have a very effective 'Into' programme in place, to assess and refer young people accordingly, if you know of any non-graduates who may need their help.

Of course, I am pushing for full qualified assessment of all non-graduates, and would be interested to hear the youth workers' views about how we could do this.

On the start-ups side, we have had a new recruit for the Job Creation group. Chiara will bring new ideas and momentum to the discussions, and as I have told her, what we need now, is a practical demonstration of the Gorilla database in action.

If you are interested in starting a business, or know someone who is, then they are welcome to make use of this database:

Google+ (‘Gorilla Opportunity’ Start-Ups Database)

https://plus.google.com/108660978572646258999/posts

gorilla.opportunity@gmail.com

In the meantime, I'd like to thank all members for their efforts, welcome new ones, and long may we continue. The combined skills and expertise of the members in this group alone is making a big difference. Every idea, or discussion means a new opportunity can be created, which could make all the difference to someone's career.

I welcome your insights, and look forward to hearing. Let's make some opportunities!

Best Regards

James M

Founder

Video Blog - 'Let's Build Bridges', Update July 2015

Qualified Assessment Update, July 2015 - The Need for a More Proactive Approach

Following my article a few months ago, about qualified assessment for non-graduates, I have spoken to a number of youth organisations about this, and youth workers alike. As they have told me, there are certificate qualifications, which non-graduates can be awarded, but these are usually for general core skills (such as Teamwork). But from my background in HR, I know that - to be blunt - employers expect these core skills anyway, from all candidates who apply for a job.

What will impress the employers, are certificate qualifications for specific skill sets; for example, customer service, manual handling, etc. This will allow a candidate to fit into a specific niche that the employer wants them too. Again, it is not that non-graduates aren't given these certificate qualifications. But the problem is that the system relies on the initiative of each youth organisation or training provider.

For example, a school may recommend a group of young people, for training under a youth organization. The organisation's Outreach team may then assess the group, see where their skills lie, and accredit them a certificate qualification for a skill such as construction. And they may be introduced to contacts in the industry to find a good career. This is great for that particular group of young people: but what about the other young people in nearby schools, who could benefit just as much from the same opportunity?

That is why I think qualified assessment should be integrated proactively into every youth service, and made as freely available to non-graduates as a school education. This would ensure that every 16-24 year old service-user is given a free full assessment of his/her skills and abilities: and then directed to an assessor to be qualified for any ungraded skills. It should, in effect, be like a safety net, to make sure, that young people who did not get the chance for apprenticeships or higher education, are still able to prove themselves to future employers, by gaining certificate qualifications, that reflect their skills.

I am keen to discuss how we could make qualified assessment for young people, an integral part of all youth services.

You are welcome to visit our Forum page to discuss.

Best Regards

James M

Founder