Steps to Help Young People s Careers

A few weeks ago, there was an interesting discussion by the EY (part of Ernst & Young Global Limited)'s panellists, about young people's opportunties:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acgXNOcj-z0&index=14&list=PL4JSMaUVcSC3U15b7zOTKOyhb-WaEeOC3

And putting the panellists' advice together, I would say that what they have said, confirms the following steps, which could be taken to help young people's careers.

• Young people need mentors, whether they are planning to be apprentices, or students alike. They need someone who is experienced and wise, to listen to what they want, and then point them in the right direction.
• Business start ups are a great way to create opportunities, both for young entrepreneurs, and for NEET's (young people not in education or training), who are looking for careers. I have believed this for a long time: and the social marketing agency mentioned in the clip above is a perfect example, which is great to see.
• Apprenticeships are clearly the best way to combine learning with hands on industry experience, and they should be fully supported in all aspects of higher education.
• Young people should be allowed to take part in the process for creating opportunities for themselves. Youth Parliaments in politics are one example, and likewise, we need more local young entrepreneur networks, and direct feedback from youth committees, to shape apprenticeships, so that young people are able to get the best out of them.

All young people deserve opportunity, and these steps can go a long way to help the opportunities of students, apprentices, and NEETs alike. 

Centralised Tests Save Time

While job hunting, I have noticed that a number of employment agencies and prospective employers, require the same standard tests to be taken, to assess candidates' skills. These include such subjects as Word Processing, Excel skills, numeracy and literacy tests. But although all of these tests are perfectly reasonable, it seems inefficient, to ask candidates to repeat the same tests, again and again, for every agency or employer that they go to.

And so, I would like to propose a measure that will streamline recruitment processes, and save the candidates valuable time in the process: centralised tests. Like a standard certificate qualification, a candidate would simply go into a central database, (such as Outlook online), take the test, and the results of the test would be stored on that database. A cloud platform run by Google or Microsoft would be a perfect place for such test results to be stored; as agencies from around the world, would have access to them.

Candidates would, of course, be able to log on, for refresher tests, every few months, or perhaps annually; so that any new skills were added to their 'profile' in this way. But very much like the info on LinkedIn, employers would be able to access and read prospective candidates' info, without having to ask them to take the same standard tests again.

So a 'certificate' in Word Processing, Excel skills; numeracy and literacy, could save both candidates and employers vital time; and make recruitment as a whole, more efficient.

The Lessons of STEM

STEM has taught us an important lesson.

Right now, we have a huge drive in the UK to recruit more professionals for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: or STEM for short. It is heartening to see this take shape, and I have no doubt that it will give thousands of young people their shot at these industries:

https://www.stem.org.uk/about-us

But while I admire the work of the STEM projects, it is still sad to think, that we have had this skills 'shortage' in the first place. This did not have to be. Because there are as many future engineers, mathematicians, technologists and future scientists in our schools: my dad was one of them.

As he told me, when he studied back in the 1960's, engineering was considered a 'manual' profession, and was therefore not given the same priority as others. Engineers were not seen the same way as doctors, and lawyers: even though they had to give as much attention to detail, in their work. This lack of support has continued over the years, and has left a skills gap. Young would be engineers, mathematicians, technologists and scientists alike, have not given the training, because their education was not funded properly.

And now the chickens have come home to roost.

Lack of talent is not the issue. We have an abundance of talented young people in our country. In every interview I have gone for in the past few months, dozens of talented people have been there, and prospective employers have admitted that they have had to have candidates in all week: there are that many talented applicants.

No, the issue is that these young people have not been given the training they need, for the careers they deserve. And as a result, my recruiter colleagues have had to fast track candidates from abroad to fill the 'gap'.

The lesson we should learn from STEM, is that today's students must be trained for all professions, and they must be given the resources they need to do so. Young candidates are as good today as they have ever been: it is our education and training, that needs to serve them better.

Student-Alumni Networks - Making them Specific

Student-Alumni networking is perhaps the most important way to create job opportunities for higher education. But while there are many impressive Alumni networks at Universities around the world, there is one measure I would like to propose, to help the process.

Most of the Universities I know of, in the UK, (including my own), usually have one main Alumni network, for Alumni from all schools of the university. There is then usually one main student network - on the University's Facebook or LinkedIn page, where students of all schools may network with one another.

The advantage that these networks have, is of course, that they are universal. Students and Alumni from all professions, may meet to share ideas, connections, and attend events. There are many great benefits to this co-operative way of thinking. Yet at the same time, I believe we are missing another important aspect of student-Alumni networking: the need to network within a profession. That is why there is a specific kind of networking I would like to propose, for the universities' Alumni officers to try. My proposal is this.

As well as our main networks, I believe that each School should set up a specialised student-Alumni network, in house, for both its students and Alumni to use. For example, Engineering students and Alumni could have a closed, specific in house LinkedIn group exclusively for them. This network would also have direct links with online engineering networks, to which the University was affiliated. The same could be done for the Medical School; the Science School and so on for each profession. (Students and Alumni of multiple disciplines would of course have access to each of their Schools' networks.)

The students and Alumni of these networks would have a special knowledge transferring arrangement with one another. The Alumni would offer them key connections and industry specific info; and in turn, the students would offer the Alumni their innovations, for projects of the Alumni's choosing. (Much of this is done currently, as part of Knowledge Transfer projects within the Alumni's businesses; but these separate projects could be brought together within one LinkedIn network, or similar social media platform.) They could also coordinate mentoring-internships from these networks.

I believe that by concentrating on the professions themselves, we can amplify the networking process, and increase knowledge transfer, to help developments within each industry. Our social media is sophisticated enough. Let's take the next step.

The Gorilla App as a Tool for Start ups

I'd like to pus a few ideas forward for why we should offer the Gorilla Opportunity app.

Despite all of our existing social media networks, apps and platforms, I have found as a business person, that there are still gaps in the recruiting system, they we need to remedy. For example, the One-Click apply apps now allow us to make hundreds of applications through our phones in one go. And we can also display our profiles on multiple social media networks to recruiters. All well and good, but what often happens, is that the one click apply jobs and headhunting are outsources to employment agencies: who then require candidates to register with them first, before going to interviews with the potential employers. For the best roles, there will inevitable be perhaps 2 or even 3 interviews - even when the candidate actively approaches the organisation his or her self; and since most of us are applying for our next job while in full time work, this can be time consuming and inefficient.

And for the VC's themselves, while they have plenty of existing networks to recruit entrepreneurs, and have candidates found from, I would like to offer them this tool as a handy extra, to the process. As per our previous posts, the logic behind the Gorilla App, will be that it works like a dating app, to allow VC's to search the skillset, background experience, and even past companies worked in, by the business people they are looking for. If I were looking to invest in a group of people to start a business, I would want a very clear breakdown of all of these things, before I invested in them. And so we will be very specific, to offer a specialised search and contact options to do exactly that. That is why I am pushing for us to create an app, we will call Gorilla Business.

Admittedly, I will say that like the supermarkets, we won't be the first to offer this kind of service. In fact, there is another Gorilla start ups initiative on my very doorstep: competitors in my home town who are offering the same start ups advice for innovators and entrepreneurs. But think of the supermarkets as businesses themselves. ASDA is not the only supermarket in my parents' home town, that sells food. In theory, you could walk down a street anywhere in the UK, and buy exactly the same food from any number of the groceries of supermarkets based there. But of course, it is the way that the service is offered, which is why each supermarket has its own brand and business. My logic for Gorilla Business is the same.

People will always need food, hence why there will always be supermarkets or outlets that sell food to them in some form. And by the same logic, there must be many different apps, networks and platforms to enable job creations, because people will always need jobs - and career opportunities too, and there will always need to be new jobs and career opportunities for them to have. And while I am hopeful about Brexit, it is prudent that we all be prepared for the UK's separation from the European Single Market; which will inevitably mean a shock to our economy, and so entrepreneurs and VC's alike will need every tool at their disposal, to keep start ups - and hence people's jobs - going.

Therefore, headhunting and picking the right team are the name of the game. These will be the reasons why business people should use our app. Anyone interested in discussing this with me, is welcome to attend the Skype meeting we will have on Nov 18th, and I can be found under the distinctive Skype name of 'Mysticmegster1' to link up.

Let's help start businesses and offer people new jobs and opportunities

Getting Recruitment Right: Random Frustrations from a Candidate in the Field

As a business person applying for jobs,  I have found that despite all of our existing social media networks, apps and platforms, that there are still gaps in the recruiting system, they we need to remedy. Therefore, here are my thoughts on what could be done to improve the recruitment process, both for my self and others.

For example, at the time of writing, my current contract is due to expire. This as a recruiter told me, is 'the way the market is going now' - with many of us on fixed term or temporary contracts, because employers are worried about Brexit and what to expect. And it is certainly true that as careers officers often tell us: it makes sense to be in a job while applying for your next one. But the recruitment process as it stands, makes this very difficult to move into that job.

For one thing, the One Click Apply system we have, usually means that the role i click for is handled by an agency. This in itself is fine; i work on a contract through one now. But what then happens is that the agency recruiter then calls up, enthusiastically wanting me to either come in and register, or come and meet them in person. Which i cant do of course, because I am in a full time job. I appreciate that they are trying to break the ice, but time constraints make this impossible for people like me.

Then there s the screening process itself. In fairness, from my Compliance experience, I am well aware that by law, all candidates must be fit for work and trustworthy for work. They must therefore all have DBS (criminal record) checks, health referrals, and have satisfactory employment references (which i write) in place before they can be hired: there is no getting around this.

But for one role I applied for, I was then asked to drive several hundred miles to a designated checking centre for that company, and have my DBS check before even having my second interview.

As you can imagine, for people like me, who are already in a full time role (albeit a temporary one), there simply isn't enough annual leave to keep coming out to all the interviews that new employers may require.

Not only that, but there are times when the rules contradict one another: nowhere more so than when it comes to disclosure of candidate information vs data protection. For example on one occasion, an agency recruiter phoned up to say he d seen my CV online, and could we meet informally in a hotel to discuss and hand over my documents? This kind of informal get together has been used by a few agencies i ve applied to, but it throws up and obvious question. The recruiter always has to have your passport and other documents before taking you on: but would you seriously give you lr passport to a total stranger you just met in a hotel?

So while the DBS (criminal records) checks, are absolutely necessary to make sure someone is trustworthy for a role; I just dont see the point in having to apply for one again and again for each role, unless (I am told) you successfully can have one transferred. But surely, like a Driving License, a single DBS certificate could be held by the same candidate, and updated centrally from the national database, according to any criminal convictions, fines etc, a candidate may since have had? After all, driving offences are put on a person's license record, without having to send them to the DVLA every time: so why not do the same for DBS certificates?

Then there's the issue of headhunting. Many times, potential recruiters, including some founders of companies, have looked at my profile on LinkedIn, and yet none have directly approached me about a project they may be working on. Of course I accept that my profile is hardly the best, and there is an abundance of world class talent on LinkedIn of far more qualified and skilled candidates who are more suitable for headhunting. But all the same, I think more could be done to streamline the process, by making it easier for entrepreneurs and VC's to headhunt the rank and file and mid market candidates they need.

The other challenge is one my pet peeves: application forms. Once upon a time, it made sense to ask every applicant to fill out a form, giving their contact details, education and employment history, and the details of referees for references. Back in the 1990's for example, I remember that not every employer had a computer system that could store this kind of data, so you always had to fill in a new form every time you applied for a job.

All well and good, but things have now moved on. As countless careers officers have said, and employers have admitted, everything is now online. Our details can be found everywhere from LinkedIn to Dropbox. Recruiters can know our employment history, contact details and references at the click of a button. So why is it then, that every time I apply through an agency, I am then presented with a form to fill in, that asks for the same details that are already on my profile?

Let me be clear here: I believe it is a pointless waste of everyone's time, to ask applicants to fill in the same basic information again and again, when employers already have access to this information. Now in the 21st Century, all they need do, is access my LinkedIn profile and others, to find all the basic info they need. After all that isn't that what LinkedIn is supposed to be for?

Asking an applicant to fill out the same application forms, is like asking us to use a typewriter in place of a Tablet or Smartphone. Typewriters are now out of date technology. Their functions are incorporated into our keyboards, but the machines themselves are no longer used. Not only that, but I find it insulting and patronising to ask candidates who have worked for years, to fill in forms as if they had just started full time work: we did this years ago. Please don't ask us to do it again.

Having worked in administration, I say that the process needs to be streamlined, so that we are only asked for a piece of information once. For example, instead of asking candidates to undertake a Word and Excel test for every agency they sign on to, there should be a standard certificate that we could have to give to employment agencies, to save us all some time.

By scrapping conventional application forms, and having a standard set of certificates - both DBS, and basic skills - I think we could speed up the recruitment process for jobs in the UK, and make it a lot more efficient.

And while employment agencies may help with some applications, I think we need a more direct approach to recruitment for small to medium businesses. This is what I hope to address in a project I am working on, to build a new kind of business app, to tackle these issues. If you would like to discuss, please feel free to comment below, or visit the following links below.

These are my frustrations about the recruitment process, and my suggestions as to how they may be improved. They are my own opinions, but I hope that by sharing them with you, my colleagues throughout the recruitment profession, you may be able to put some of these issues right.

Best Regards


James Megarry LLM, LLB, LCM



https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7495433

https://join.skype.com/obzjzGG0efuC

Student Work Experience - How We Can Balance Mentoring With Internships

Making the Grade: The Challenges to Making young people s grades reflect their skills

As per my messages so far, i have been pushing for a way to help NEETs by making qualified assessment part of every youth service, to allow their grades to reflect their skills.

Of course, any new initiative needs research, and having spoken to a number of different charities, they have given me good feedback. The key kind of assessment to help NEETs, is a Competency Based Assessment, to grade them by ability and skill. This i believe is crucial to allowing them to demonstrate their true potential to employers. Most young people work or have worked, and have picked up transferrable skills that we can assess them on, to map out and recognise their prior learning, before these young people are sent on the relevant courses.

There are so many reasons why this matters. First of all, the price of education and training. Education costs money. Each course is an investment and a privilege. So we need to make sure that the education available, goes to the people who need it the most.

Then there is the argument for common sense efficiency. We don’t need to teach people what they already know. Certain organisations leaders know this and fast track their top candidates, to save time and resources.  The same should be done for all people in our workforce: but especially for the disadvantaged young people with talent, who need every skill on display to recruiters, in order to survive the brutal war for talent.

And there is a perfect example of how resources can be wasted when this does not happen. While at High School, (Sixth Form as it was known in England at the time) i took French with a student who really didn’t need to be there. She and her family had lived in France for 5 years and needless to say, her French was word perfect. She could have taken the French exam there and then, and would have passed with flying colours - vraiment as the French would say.

Yet this poor student spent 2 years 'learning' alongside the rest of us, which must have been as mind numbingly boring as being made to learn your ABC s when you’re a librarian. And it wasn’t just her time that was wasted. When we think of the amount of textbooks, soundtracks, field trips, pencils, notebooks and countless other resources used to 'teach' her, it added up to thousands. And how much of this could have gone to teaching someone else who didn’t know French but would certainly benefit career wise from learning a foreign language?

So clearly we should be making sure that talented young people are fast tracked through the system and graded according to the skills they already have, to save them time and resources.

As with all ideas of course, there are challenges. And these are some of the challenges we face so far:

Assessors must always be hired by the businesses or other organisations, to work with the young people they serve. This usually means funding is needed and assessment comes, "with a price attached" according to one source.

Sadly the assessors can t work as part of an existing team such as social services, without specific funding, which may be difficult to justify and acquire. For one thing, I am told that Government funding that existed for competency based assessments in UK workplaces is no longer available.

While some courses do allow an exam for candidates who are at the right level, it still happens, that in most cases, young people must be sent on and complete a course before they are assessed. And again, funding such courses may not always be an option.

Each training centre must apply for each individual accreditation, to be able to award that grade to a young candidate. For example a training centre would have to apply to the awarding body for customer service, to be able to assess a candidate and award them that certificate. The awarding body would then send an assessor of their own, who was qualified to award only that certificate. The whole process would have to be repeated again to award the same candidate a certificate in another skill, such as Manual Handling.

And like the old CRB system for criminal records checks, (used before the current Disclosure and Barring Service came in), each awarding body has its own criteria that a training centre must meet to be able to award that qualification.  Given that there are around 170 different skills to be assessed on in the UK alone, this makes it impossible for one trainer to award certificates for several different skills to the same candidate at once. This makes  one full assessment of a candidate’s many skills all but impossible.

And when grades are awarded, the awarding bodies need evidence of time spent either training or learning: ie x number of hours study or a minimum of 10 hours per week working in a particular skill. This does not help NEETs who are unemployed, or who have ungraded skills different to the role they are working in.

So based on the challenges so far, here are my recommendations for moving the process forward:

- Using the new DBS certificate system and the old Investors In People status as as an example, there should be one UK-wide accreditation system, merging all awarding bodies into one federation of sorts, which could award competency based skills in all subjects. This would ensure that for example, being a QCF Accredited training provider would allow a training centre to award all types of QCF applications, without having to apply for each one individually. Like DBS it would make the system more efficient, and allow all information on one individual to be kept in one place: but in a positive way, to help NEETs careers.

- Training providers could be defined as single organisations, co-operatives, or accredited individuals. This would allow charities and assessors to work together, and make arrangements for one assessor to work for several charities at once, to assess and qualify the young people in their care.

- More funding could be given to hire assessors for competency based assessments of young service users in youth organisations who support young people not in education or training.

 For example a Government sponsored social services fund for the purpose of employability could include this kind of assessment as part of its work programmes. Some schemes do exist but are discretionary and rely too much on local initiative. Of course this is a matter of policy, and should the Government not be inclined to do this directly, a charity could be set up to get the funding for this.

Conclusion

All young people s grades should reflect their skills: especially NEETs who must be compensated for their disadvantage by being allowed to demonstrate their actual skillset and prior learning. Competency based assessment is the most effective way to make sure of this. We must now face the challenges and find a way to give disadvantaged young people the same recognition of value as their student and apprentice counterparts, to ensure that they get the best opportunity for a good career.

My Vision for NEETs - How Qualified Assessment can help disadvantaged young people

Here's how i believe qualified assessment can be used to help the education, training and career development of disadvantaged young people (known as NEETs here in the UK.)

The standard approach my colleagues in receuitment would usually take, would be to find a candidate s strengths and then direct him or her down the appropriate career path. But while that is certainly the right thing to do, i believe it is only part of the solution we should consider.

There are several other themes i think are equally important, in the overall picture for the development of disadvantaged young people s careers. These are:

- Recognition of value

- No young adult left behind

- A job at the end of it

Recognition of value

Before we send candidates down a career path, i think it is very important to recognise the value of their achievements so far. If all young people s grades reflected their actual skill set, i believe that the overall qualifications NEETs possess - and hence their career potential - would increase dramatically.

After all, I'm sure careers officers would agree, that before you even send a job applicant on any kind of courses, you should first assess his or her skills and experience: what does this candidate actually know? What has he or she actually done and what kind of skills does he or she possess?

This is especially true for young people who are not in education nor training (or 'NEETs' as we know them here in the UK), because as my colleagues in recruitment know all too well, there is a no holds barred 'war' to find the best talent for the biggest organisations.

As a candidate, you have to sell yourself for every grade, qualification, every ounce of talent you possess, to a recruiter: and while brilliant in themselves, i submit that the downside to apprenticeships, is that they have raised the bar of employers' expectations - as has our globalised job market. Young applicants could now be up against some of the best qualified people in the world - including fully qualified apprentices with both the industry experience and the grades.

Fortuntely in their favour, and as statistics show, around 80 of 16-24 year olds in the UK have a job or have worked in one. Therefore, i submit that even those who may not have had eduction or training, have actually picked up a lot of skills from their experience, in the various jobs they have worked.

But experience alone is not enough. As one recruiting manager once told me, the hiring manager will be pleased that a young person worked in a similar job before, but will want proof that a candidate is actually at the required level (be this Level 1, 2 3 etc) for that particular role. This is why i believe that qualified assessment is the key.

If disadvantaged youg people were assessed on all their complete skillset, and qualified accordingly, they would be able to demonstrate a lot of career potential in all major key skills. I firmly believe this would help them.to stand out and hold their own when competing.for roles against fully qualified apprentices, and graduates of higher education.

No Young Adult Left Behind

Rather than be a 'nice to have' part of the support offered to NEETs, i submit that a full qualified assessment of their skills should be seen as a basic standard of further education to be offered to all young people between the ages of 18-24. 

Just as all 5-18 year olds in the UK have an absolute right to a school education, so too should all 18-24 year olds receive further education: be it in the form of a degree, an apprenticeship; or as a bare mimum, a free full qualified assessment, to recognise prior learning through experience.

For this reason, i believe that full qualified assessment for all skills should be an integral part of the support services offered to disadvantaged young people. Every service from social services, to young offenders institutes, should employ qualified assessors, to offer this to all young people they work to support.

Just as we once said No Child Left Behind, so i say no youg adult should be left behind either.

A Job at the End of it

Skills and qualifications are all very well, but as critics have often pointed out: what good are they if there is no job at the end of it? 

That is why i believe we need to use online recruiting systems to flag up newly qualified NEETs to potential new employers. The digital badging system for pathways that Kevin Field has told me about seems a novel idea for this.

I also think we could tie the pathways systems to start up databases, so that entrepreneurs can seek out NEETs to provide the labour for their start ups. This would give NEETs the entry level jobs into the industries they need, and would help entrepreneurs build their businesses.

Summary

This is how i believe that qualified assessment can be used to recognise the value of disadvantaged young people, and help their careers.

James M

Founder

Feedback so far

A Response to Points Made so far

Following my open letter, there are a number of points from feedback, members and others have given to me so far, and I would like to respond to these, and offer some more points for discussion.

Firstly, that our forum seems to be dealing with too many issues at once. According to one member, it seems to be trying to solve many different issues to with many different groups of people. And in response to this, I will say, there is only one issue that this forum is here to deal with: the creation of jobs and career opportunities.

However, the need for opportunity is so universal, and affects many different groups of people, in many different ways, that there are potentially hundreds of issues to discuss. Therefore, I have narrowed it down to 3 areas, but the reason why I have chosen to discuss all 3 of these ways to create opportunities - knowledge transfer, skills and qualifications and job creation - is because dealing with any one of these aspects by itself would only solve part of the problem.

It is all very well being qualified and assessed on a course, for example, but where is the job at the end of it? It is all very well having a job, but what about the innovations (and skills) needed to create new opportunities in that industry? And it is all very well wanting to start a business - and create jobs in the process - but what do you make or sell, and who do you hire who is willing to work in a start up, for long hours at low pay?

All these areas are linked, and in many ways, the issues overlap one another: hence I have deliberately expanded the scope of this forum, to consider how the challenges in each area affect the other two, and what kind of co-ordinated solution we can find to resolve them.

So what I plan for eventually, is to have 3 teams of people in effect, who are dedicated to dealing with each of these aspects of our forum. They would look at the challenges faced by each group of people - the students, the NEETs, and the adult entrepreneurs - and find ways to create opportunities for them, as per the plan in my open letter.

Dedicated and experienced volunteers, could in time become trustees for Let's Build Bridges, enabling it to become an Unincorporated Association. They would be helped by volunteers in each field, who believe in jobs and career opportunities for the people they are helping.

And so I would like to give you a brief update on each area so far:

Student Opportunities

One project I have been focusing on right now for student opportunities, is the GMTG Performing Arts Group: an online networking group on Linkedin, to engage performing arts students, artists and creatives, and including members and Alumni of my university's Guild Musical  Theatre Group. This online group is now approaching nearly 50 members, and includes a wide range of full time arts professionals, performing arts students, and arts enthusiasts, both young and adult:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8342825

The group is gaining momentum, with artists and creatives coming forward to join it, and I believe we can now offer some real connections and career opportunities, to students and adults who are looking for careers in arts and entertainment.

That is why I have proposed a Question and Answer session between all members, and have been speaking with our student engagement officer about how this might be done:

http://jamesperformingarts.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/q-and-a.html

It may not yet be possible to hold such an event, until the group gains more members. We still need key leaders from each generation of Alumni to come forward. And as always, it is difficult to get so many people on different schedules, to meet at the same time and place.

But all the same, I believe that this group presents a very good opportunity to arts enthusiasts, and the success of its members is clear proof to the business community, that the performing arts is in fact a valid profession for our students to learn. And it is my hope, that this group will set an example for other student-Alumni networking groups to follow.

NEET's

With cut backs being made to your services in the UK, this is likely to damage the opportunities of disadvantaged young people (or 'NEETs' as we know them over here). Therefore, I think that Kevin Field's digital badging system, could be one way to compensate for this loss, by helping NEETs in a new way. Qualified assessment of all skills and abilities is still the best way forward, and I believe that once qualified, this digital system could then be used to flag newly qualified NEETs to potential new employers.

A good place for us to try this, would be in the borough of Tower Hamlets in London. As one member of this group has told me, London has a higher number of 18-24 year olds who face challenges to finding employment, compared with the rest of the UK. There are of course, schemes in place to help these disadvantaged young people. But there is not yet one that I have found, where NEETs are fully assessed and qualified, according to their prior learning and skill level. The flaw seems to be that although employers may offer traineeships, they don't have to award certificate qualifications to candidates, at the end of every course. Another challenge, is that the focus is only on getting the NEETs onto their chosen career path. This is fine: but I also think that if NEET's qualifications and grades were made to reflect all of their skills, it would allow them to overcome their disadvantage, by demonstrating their worth to future employers. And a few extra certificate qualifications may not seem like much, but they might be the vital step up a disadvantaged candidate needs, to land a new job.

So I would like us to consider using full qualified assessment, and the digital badging system for young people in the Tower Hamlets borough, and welcome the chance to discuss this with members of our group.

Adult Entrepreneurs

Thanks to the entrepreneurs I have spoken to, for their feedback. Regarding the Gorilla Database: there are many innovations from the universities that could be used for new products and services, but entrepreneurs from business start ups who used them, would have to reassure the universities' leaders, that these would not disrupt the market. This would mean careful planning and market readiness for the launch of new products and services.

My response to this issue is: surely the current patents from graduates' innovations have already had to undergo such a process? They have surely had the same opposition from potential competitors from within the marketplace, and have had to be released, following careful negotiations between the universities and the large organisations.

And by that logic, I see no reason why we shouldn't also consider using the innovations of graduates whose unread theses and PHD's have not yet been made into products or services. Surely entrepreneurs could negotiate with the same contacts at the universities, to use these innovations? This will need some thought, and I will be in contact with several universities about the use of their masters graduates theses, to make new products and services.


Of course, the universities are one possible source for innovations. There are plenty of entrepreneurs who have their own ideas, and make successful businesses from them. But I believe that if entrepreneurs are looking for inspiration, that there are enough unread theses at each university in the world, for potentially hundreds of new innovations for enterprise.

The next challenge for start ups, would of course be funding. As one entrepreneur said to me: there are many 20-30 something people who would like to start a business, but who need someone else to invest in them. They may need Angel investors, or Venture Capitalists, but I am also wondering about older entrepreneurs, who as my friend have said, have made their money over the years, and are now looking for potential new ventures or challenges to take on. These people might make useful investors, if they get together with the other entrepreneurs, to help fund their projects.

Summary

These are the points from feedback so far, and they will help Let's Build Bridges to develop our long term plans.

So if there are any people you know, who are passionate about the need for opportunity, please tell them about our forum, and invite them here to be a part of it.

Best Regards

James M

Founder

An Open Letter to All

An Open Letter

To all members of the forum, and readers online. Instead of the usual updates, for January and February, there is something I would like us all to consider.

As you may know, and as part of the plan for this forum, I am looking towards long term developments, and believe that Let’s Build Bridges can function, ultimately, as a charity, to help the jobs and career opportunities of young people and of adults. If you are a group member on our forum’s Facebook, Linkedin, or Google+ pages, you are under no obligations of course: associating with this forum does not bind you to it in any way, and you are welcome to contribute whatever you feel is appropriate, for your level of interest in our forum.

You have all responded to my various invitations, to join this forum, and as you will have seen, the members of our forum are from many different professions and backgrounds. But essentially, our main aim has always been about finding ways to create new opportunities for people. We all believe that there should be more opportunities for young people and adults. And with the combined talents and experience of this group, I believe we have the right combinations of experience, the skills and the knowledge, to make this happen.

What I am looking for now, is for like-minded people you would recommend, who are interested in growing this project and taking it to the next stage in its evolution. After some development, I would like Let’s Build Bridges to become an unincorporated charity. You, the existing members would be more than welcome to continue following what we do as before, but you may know people you could recommend, who would become its trustees.

To recap what this forum is here to do, Let’s Build Bridges was founded to consider ways of helping the opportunities of three groups of people. They are:

·         Students

·         Disadvantaged young people (known as ‘NEET’s’ in the UK)

·         Adult entrepreneurs

By aiming to help each of these groups, I believe we are enabling the core values of opportunity. These are:

·         Knowledge transfer

·         Skills and Qualifications

·         Job creation

With this in mind, the forum’s objectives are:

Student Opportunities

·         To ensure that all students are given work experience, as part of their higher education

·         To encourage student-Alumni networking across all industries and professions

·         To make student work experience a two-way process, allowing students to pass on their innovations, and receive mentoring and coaching for their chosen industry in return.

NEETs

·         To ensure that the skills and abilities of all 18-24 year olds, not in education or training ('NEETs'), are recognised and reflected by their grades.

·         To do this by ensuring that all NEET’s are offered a full qualified assessment of their skills and abilities.

·         To enable this by making full qualified assessment an integral part of every youth service.

Adult Entrepreneurs

·         To empower all adults who are wanting to start a business of their own, or be part of one.

·         To combine innovations, entrepreneurs, and a variety of both skilled and unskilled participants, to create new businesses.

·         To use business start-ups as a means of job creation for adults, and for young people.    

These are the three main areas of the forum’s discussions, and what I plan to make into the 3 areas of Let’s Build Bridges’ operations. But of course, this is a team effort. And while I am passionate about opportunity, there are of course, many others who have original ideas about how to create opportunities for people’s jobs and careers.

In many ways, i think we all underestimate the need for opportunity. Time and again, i have seen the effect of frustration on individuals, who are made to feel jealous of others success, because of a missed opportunity. Indeed, a great many social ills, from bullying to crime, can be traced in some form, right back to a lack of opportunity. Jobs and careers play an important part in people s lives, and by enabling them, we can help both young people and adults enjoy the opportunities they have.

So if you know anyone who is passionate about the creation of jobs, and/or careers, in the ways described above – among your colleagues, contacts, or friends of friends – then please do put them in touch with me, on the details below, or invite them to this forum, and with their help, and your interest, we will take Let’s Build Bridges to the next stage in its development.

Best Regards

James Megarry LLM, LLB, LCM

Founder

Let’s Build Bridges

Email: Jamesmegarry@hotmail.com


Links:

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Lets-Build-Bridges-5133737?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/419487984829959/

Google + : https://plus.google.com/communities/112411370806442294141

Blog:  http://letsbuildbridges.blogspot.co.uk/

No Regrets - Why We should not need to look back

One of the most important reasons for this forum, is to make sure that my fellow adults and today's generation of young people, are making the most of the opportunities in their lives. Time and time again, I have met adults who feel they have not done this, and as the saying goes, it is what we don't do in life that we regret the most. We need to make sure that the young people of today are given the best opportunities possible, so that by the time they have become adults, they will not look back with regret, at the career choices they have made.

Teachers understand how important it is, to give young people the best start in life. Who you are now affects how you will be in years to come. As we say at my old university, the students for example, are the 'leaders of tomorrow.' So what kind of a future do we want to give them? And the same goes for disadvantaged young people. Just because they face challenges, should not stop them from having good careers: but of course, they need to be given the right opportunities for this to happen.

And to my fellow adults: I would say that for us, we need to be able to look back with satisfaction on our lives, and know that we used our experience, to make the most of the opportunities around us. It is when we don't do this, that we succumb to something of a pandemic in today's world: the midlife crisis.

The midlife crisis might seem laughable to anyone under 30, but I can assure you, it is no joke. You begin to realise that time is passing you by, and that old friends now even have grandchildren. Then it hits home. We wake up one day and think 'what happened to my life?' It is true that relationships play a big part in our past regrets. But equally, something I have noticed, is that time and again, a missed career opportunity, is what my fellow adults regret the most.

If we adults are honest here, as this classic Star Trek moment illustrates: one of our greatest fears is this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHoPLhpw2g4


But it doesn't have to be this way. We have the power to change that. My fellow adults have years of experience, and if we get properly organised, can co-ordinate our efforts to create some amazing opportunities for ourselves, and for the young people of today. We need to do everything we can to make this happen. You only live once, and it is important that both young people and adults, have the jobs and the career opportunities they need to live a good, fulfilling life.

So let's make this happen.

A Question of Value

Employment References - How We Can Streamline the Process

It's a familiar story. A third party organisation's administrator calls up to request a reference letter, to confirm that a former employee worked for my client's company: the dates of her employment, job title and reason for leaving.

I then get work checking the former employee's file, extracting the information and putting it on a letter, to send to the requester. A routine process for all pre-employment screening, for new starters within an organisation: and the third party administrator needs an employment reference for theirs. I go through the process and issue them the reference.

But then I notice something odd. Our own new starter team, who are carrying out the screening on behalf of our client's organisation, have been chasing the reference letters, from some of the companies these candidate worked for, for weeks now. And without these letters, the candidates cannot be started. Until they are started, their details cannot be keyed into our systems, and payroll cannot make the arrangements for their pay check. In other words, because employment reference letters have not been sent, the whole process grinds to a halt.

Why has this happened? I suspect, it is because the administrators working on behalf of the candidate's former employers, have been told that reference letters are 'not a priority'. The priority in most organisations' human resources teams that I have seen, is of course, to process the new starters their organisation; to administer the payroll correctly (which will be carefully audited and must therefore be done thoroughly), and to facilitate the work of current employees. As one colleague once told me, he considered that the reference letters were 'only one thing' out of the whole, detailed process.

And therein lies the problem. This 'one thing' hold up most organisations' recruitment, because it's a one way street. We in HR, will always be chasing the references for incoming candidates to our own organisations - these will have priority. But not the ones for outgoing candidates, who going to work for others. And so, we're all stuck in the same endless cycle of needing employment references from other organisations, but not given enough incentive to fast track ours to them. How can we break out of this? Here's a suggestion I have.

I think we should approach this challenge, like an unspoken contract, between certain organisations. The relationship between our organisation and the third party requester could be like a contract: we need something from them and they need something from us. So if there are two organisations, who enjoy a high exchange of the same employees, then their new starters and employment reference teams could have a mutual arrangement in place, to fast track each others' candidates' applications.

For example, when a former employee from Organisation A, applies to join Organisation B, the new starter team from Organisation B could immediately contact the HR Administrator at Organisation A, who is in charge of employment references. Organisation A's administrator knows to fast track this reference, by his/her employer's arrangement with Organisation B, and does so. In return, the new starter team at Organisation B, then inform their own administrator, who issues external employment references, about some of Organisation A's new starters, who will need references fast tracking. And so, by careful arrangement between both organisations, their new starters are able to benefit from a more streamlined process. (I already have an unspoken agreement like this in place, with our new starter team, to fast track employment references, for former employees, of our client's organisation, who are coming back to work for us.)

Of course, there are many challenges to such an arrangement. All candidates have an equal right to seek employment, and this may appear to give an unfair advantage to some above others. The way to address this problem, is to make any such agreements official, so that candidates from other organisations will understand why the ones participating, are given priority: it is a business deal, in effect, for more streamlined recruitment processes, and is a voluntary agreement, by all participating organisations. 

I think we should at least consider this kind of arrangement, as an important incentive, to streamline our pre-employment screening processes. Employment references are only one part of the process, but they are an important one. A candidate needs his/her reference letter in a timely fashion, to start in a new role: and what better incentive for the former employer, if their own new starters' candidates' references will be fast tracked in return.  

 

Apprenticeships: how to make the most of your experience

Apprenticeships have come a long way in recent years, offering young people a real alternative to university and a way to gain incredible, career-enhancing work experience.

They offer a great blend of practical training and learning support.

If you're thinking of undertaking an apprenticeship however, or know someone who is, it's important to remember that the company itself isn't the only one who has a responsibility to make the experience as useful as possible – you do too.

Here's how you can make sure you squeeze every drop of value out of your apprenticeship.

Choose one that suits you

It sounds obvious, but the best way to make sure you're fully-engaged with your apprenticeship is to become involved in one that's based in an industry that appeals to you.

There's more choice now than ever, in terms of the sectors in which these programmes exist, as you can become involved in programmes in fields as diverse as banking, engineering, IT and law.

Show apprentice recruiters that you're keen

At this stage, many school leavers are likely to have a fairly similar level of work experience, so there won't be much setting you apart.

It's for this reason that it's really important to show that you're passionate about the opportunity to work for the company and are interested in the industry, starting right from the interview stage.

If you show that you're really keen to become an apprentice and put a lot into the experience, your manager is more likely to hand greater responsibility to you.

For example, if you're interested in working in consultancy, show that you're up to date with everything that's happened in the sector and that you're aware of who the key figures are.

Show you have the skills that employers want

Companies need employees who possess certain key qualities, like the ability to communicate and work well with others.

If you can show that you have these skills and are able to apply them effectively to your role, your superiors will be more inclined to trust you to work on important projects.

Show that you're also willing to take on more responsibility and focus on developing your own ability, through practical work and studying.

Let your positivity shine through on an apprenticeship

From your first interview to the last day of your apprenticeship, it's always a good idea to show enthusiasm and commitment. This can be through your body language, attitude and how you interact with your colleagues.

It doesn't mean that you have to be the loudest or most outgoing person in the office, or that you should try to be something you're not.

Instead, it means you should always be willing to help, polite, courteous, engaged and co-operative. This will help you come across in a positive light.

Ask questions to learn

One of the goals of an apprenticeship is to develop as a person, as an employee and to learn valuable professional skills. As you're in the early part of your career, it's absolutely fine for you to ask questions – in fact it's expected and likely encouraged.

Don't be scared of asking your manager and colleagues questions. If anything, this will show that you're keen to learn and help you become a more effective member of the team.

Listen to your co-workers

Being surrounded by people who have many years of experience will automatically help you to learn a lot, so just being in a working office environment will be beneficial to your professional development.

However, if your colleagues offer you specific advice or insights, it's worth really listening to it and taking it onboard.

After all, these people have learnt from experience and will only be trying to help you by passing on their knowledge.

Update for October

Here is a summary of our progress for the month of October.

 

Student Opportunities

For student opportunities, my focus is currently on the new Linkedin group, for Alumni of my University of Birmingham’s Guild Musical Theatre Group. This was a student society I once belonged to, that has now become a very successful part of our university’s Guild of Students. I aim to bring 30 generations of its Alumni into one group, to form a network in support of the performing arts:

https://www.linkedin.com/grp/home?gid=8342825

What makes this group unique, is that the students for this society, came from every school of our University. Many society members studied subjects other than drama: from science, and business; to history and politics. And yet so many of them went on to have successful careers in the performing arts industry: making the case for the performing arts as a profession accessible to all.

That is what I hope to demonstrate to fellow business people, by setting up this group on Linkedin. As university graduates, its members are intelligent, highly organised individuals, who have roles in important arts organisations. Given time and resources, they will be able to co-ordinate a very successful network for the performing arts. And when they do, their work will set an example, which other student-Alumni networks, may choose to follow.

NEETs

For disadvantaged young people, some very interesting insights have been shown to me, regarding digital badging, as a way to help their career opportunities, as discussed on the following page:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7494975

I believe that if a 16-24 year old who is not in education nor training, received a qualification by assessment; then the awarding body could register them on key recruitment databases for that industry. This at least, would flag up talented, but disadvantaged candidates, to recruiters; giving NEET’s more of a chance, against their fully qualified student and apprentice counterparts.

There is one particular borough of London, where I think this kind of system could be used. Their borough council’s youth worker has been very receptive to the concept. However, the representative they have recommended, will be occupied for the next few weeks, and I hope to discuss the idea with them after this time.  

The Gorilla Database

For job creation opportunities: The Gorilla Database has now had over 10,000 views on Google+, making a clear case for its sustainability as a concept, and for further development:

 

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

 

Email: gorilla.opportunity@gmail.com

 

As contacts of mine have found, there are many graduates, whose theses, and PHD’s have not yet been developed into products and services. Likewise, there are always entrepreneurs, who are looking for new ideas. This database aims to put the two together, as an enabler for start ups.

Now there is a clear interest in the concept, we need a working prototype, to prove this the database can work.  One University’s business tutor, whom I have spoken to, has agreed that this database will be considered for their business incubator: on condition that certain things are demonstrated first. A working prototype is one of them.

 

The Blog

Nick Clapp and Howard Court have kindly agreed to become authors for our Forum’s blog. If you too, would like to write and publish articles about young people and adult’s opportunities, then please contact me on the following email, and I will send you the invite, to become a Contributor:

 

Jamesmegarry@hotmail.com

 

Summary

Progress has been made for all areas of opportunity that this Forum seeks to cover. The Gorilla Database; the possible digital badging scheme in London; and the GMTG Linkedin page, are all providing clear examples for job creation, help for disadvantaged young people’s opportunities, and student opportunities. We now need to set up the working prototype for job creation, plan how the London scheme may be put into practice; and build the GMTG group into a full scale network. These steps will take time, effort and planning. But if you know individuals, who may have the insights, resources and ideas for these projects, you are more than welcome to invite them to our Forum.

Best Regards

 

James M

 

Founder

 

 

Update for September

Over the past month, a lot has been happening.

Our Forum now has over 50 members, and the Forum blog has had over 3,000 views, which shows how our operation is growing. And there is a lot of interest, in the issues we are discussing.

Qualified Assessment

Thanks to Kevin, from DigitalMe; Sami from Youth Work, and others who responded to my invite to make a new kind of scheme, using qualified assessment to help NEETs. One London council's youth service staff have kindly been in touch about this, and I plan to begin our work over there.

I have set up a new subgroup, as a meeting room on LinkedIn, for us to discuss:

https://www.linkedin.com/grp/home?gid=7494975&trk=my_groups-tile-grp

It is free to join, and I welcome all youth workers, and youth service people's participation.

Student Opportunities

For student opportunities, Nick Clapp from RMP Enterprise, has kindly accepted my invitation to become a Contributor to the blog. He will write articles about student placements, and I'm sure will have some recommendations for knowledge transfer as well.

I have invited several others to become Contributors, and if you or anyone you know would like to write articles on the blog, then please send me your contact email (to my email below) and I will send you the invite to join.

I am also attempting to build up the new LinkedIn page for the Guild Musical Theatre Group, whose founder is setting up a new drama school. I know that after 30 years in existence, the members and Alumni of this group, now have the collective talent and connections, to be able to build a full scale arts network, which will serve as a clear example to performing arts students, and to student-Alumni networking in general:

https://www.linkedin.com/grp/home?gid=8342825&trk=my_groups-tile-grp

Job Creation/Business Start Ups

On the job creation side, I have been asked about the long term sustainability of the Gorilla database.

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

Over 8,000 people who have viewed this database so far, which is clear evidence, of a very strong interest in the concept. But as with the qualified assessment side of our Forum, what we need now, is
a practical example, to prove that it can work.

The database has a simple design. It allows users to put their contact details and innovations on a series of lists. Entrepreneurs will then have access to both the people and the products to start a business with.

To demonstrate this, we now need a successful example of a business, started from putting this kind of information on the database. After our progress with qualified assessment, I am confident we can find the same interest from entrepreneurs, and will put the word out shortly, to gauge their interest.

If you would like to contribute to this project, you are welcome to access the link above, or contact me on these Forum pages.

Summary

All in all, a lot is being done, and I am glad we are now using specific examples to develop our ideas for opportunity. I also welcome our new members, and look forward to their articles, posts and comments. The combined insight and experience of our members, will make this a very effective, growing operation.

The Gorilla Database

A Toolkit for Entrepreneurs

Job creation, through business start ups, is an important part of this Forum. Marcus Claytor has very kindly designed a database, whose purpose is to give entrepreneurs a Toolkit to start businesses with. The database can store contact details and product/service innovations: meaning that an entrepreneur would have access to both, to start a new business.

For entrepreneurs and others who are interested, here is the link to the database:

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

The over 8,000 views it has had so far, is a clear indication of Gorilla's potential. We will continue to build the database, which will eventually lead to a new app for entrepreneurs.

'Boot Camps' for Young Job Seekers? Why Not Try This Instead...

 

 

In response to the Government’s ‘boot camp’ programme, to crack down on young people’s unemployment, (as per the article below), I have a suggestion to make.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jobless-young-people-to-attend-boot-camps-in-no-excuses-crackdown-on-youth-unemployment-10458357.html

There is one definite way we can all help young people’s employability: and that is, the qualified assessment of non-graduates (or 'NEET's').

 

 

 

Qualified Assessment as the Solution

Qualified assessment has been a huge success, for apprentices in all industries of the UK. The assessment of people’s skills and grading according to their ability, has given young apprentices the chance to prove themselves, and show their potential to future employers. And for those who have acquired skills already, recognition of prior learning through qualified assessment, is a perfect way to measure people’s potential; because after all, you don’t have to teach someone what they already know. And so, why not do the same for non-graduates?

Take every 16-24 year old who is not in education or training (known in the UK, as non-graduates or ‘NEETs’). Assess each candidate’s skills and abilities, and if they have a skill for which they do not yet have a grade, then assess and qualify them accordingly: as you would an apprentice. This could be for any skill; from customer service, to manual handling. But certificate qualifications in specific skills can make all the difference; as employers are looking to fit young recruits into specific niches or roles.

To the organisers of the ‘Boot Camp’ programme, I say to you; before you even send these young people on any courses, and train them for interviews, why not start by assessing them for what they already know? The UK Government’s agencies are quite capable of doing this. Because after all, they did it before.

 

 

The Leitch Report

Lord Leitch Report: Prosperity for all in the global economy in 2006, highlighted the need for more training and qualification in the UK, in response to Britain’s poor rating at the time, within the global skills economy. In Lord Leitch’s own words “we cannot be complacent and we cannot predict future economic conditions with certainty, but we do know that the demand for skills will grow inexorably.”

To meet this demand, the Government increased apprenticeships, improved access to training and skills; and most interestingly of all: back in 2006, sent qualified assessors into workplaces, to discover young people’s potential. The assessors qualifies 16-24 year olds – including non-graduates - by recognising their existing skills. I know this, because I applied for one such role. I was also lucky enough to gain a certificate qualification through assessment at work.

Qualified assessment of non-graduates in the workplace was a success then, and there is no reason why it shouldn’t be a success now: for all non-graduates whether employed or unemployed. I have been giving the idea some thought, and know one challenge we will face from the HR side. It has to do with the qualified assessors themselves.

 

The Challenge

One challenge from a legal, and HR point of view, will be redefining and renegotiating the assessors' role, to include non-graduates. Qualified assessors must operate within strict guidelines of their awarding bodies. As employees, they are recruited specifically to assess mainly the apprentices. I would say that the whole financial structure of our Government's programmes is geared to that effect. And so, to deviate from it in any way, by assessing someone not within a set scheme, would potentially go outside an assessor's contract. But there is a way round this.

Youth Engagement and other specialised youth teams, already receive funding in some form, from local or central government. If we can incorporate an assessor's role into each service, part of that funding for the youth service, can then go towards hiring the assessor, to work with the non-graduates. This is quite an important distinction to make, because an assessor must have a clearly defined role within a service, to be given the power to assess and qualify the non-graduates.

 

 According to staff from UK Youth, certain training organisations can in fact, apply for funding to assess young people in their care. But again, this depends on their applications being successful. I want us to make qualified assessment more freely available to non-graduates who are services users of youth organisations. Another way to do this, might be for an organisation to employ an assessor as a temporary contractor within their youth service. That will give the assessor the power, to qualify all of the organisation's young service users.

 

 Once we can work out the legal, financial and HR side, I think there is a way that we can integrate qualified assessors into all youth services.

 

Conclusion

I believe that qualified assessment is the single most effective way, to ensure the employment, and career development of non-graduates: both employed and unemployed. If all non-graduates in the UK were assessed and qualified for any skills they had, then many of them would be able to prove themselves to employers. If you have any opinions on this, then you are welcome to visit our open forum on the link below:

https://www.linkedin.com/grp/home?gid=5133737&trk=my_groups-tile-grp

And there is also a subgroup for discussions on qualified assessment of non-graduates:

https://www.linkedin.com/grp/home?gid=7494975

I welcome your thoughts on this.

 

Best Regards

 

James M

 

Founder

 

Let’s Build Bridges

Sources

 

Lord Leitch: Prosperity for all in the global econonomy – world class skills Final Report, 2006