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Employability and Young Adults
Driving the agenda forward
| Date: | Thursday 6 November 2008 |
| Venue: | The Megacentre, Bernard Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S2 5BQ |
| Ref: | C1714 |
| Fee*: | £195 (includes lunch, tea/coffee)
(NB: NIACE does not charge VAT on conference and course fees) |
[Background] [Aims] [Audience] [Programme]
Background
Encouraging and enabling more young adults to make successful transitions into employment has long been a central focus of government policy. In the 1990s initiatives such as New Start, New Deal and The Learning Gateway were designed to address youth unemployment and support young adults on the margins of education, training and employment to enter the workplace. Many of such initiatives have endured, and today, following the 2006 publication of Lord Leitch's seminal review "Prosperity for all in a global economy – world class skills" and the subsequent government response, the focus on reducing unemployment sits alongside the drive to create a highly skilled and competitive workforce, and remains central to government ambitions. In a bid to narrow the attainment gap, and reduce numbers of young adults not in employment, education or training (NEET), this age group has been of particular concern to government, and has witnessed wide-spread reform to the learning and skills "offer".
In this context, the concept of 'employability' is much debated. What are the skills and qualities most needed by employers, and how can they best be developed? The recent Learning and Skills Network (LSN) research report 'Employability skills explored' provided a comprehensive analysis of such skills and qualities and examined the perspectives of key players, such as employers and the learning and skills sector. The report highlighted employers' perceptions of the difficulties in recruiting young adults straight from school with the "right" skills and qualities. For young adults on the margins of education, training and employment, developing these skills and qualities, and making a successful transition to employment, is even more challenging.
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Aims
This conference will explore and reflect upon current policy and practice in relation to young adults (aged 16-25), particularly those on the margins of education, training and employment, and the development of employability skills in supporting the transition to work.
Participants will hear new and critical perspectives and will have the opportunity to contribute to and shape the emerging employability skills debate and agenda.
The conference will:
 | reflect on the skills and qualities required from young adults by employers, and how young adults can be supported to develop them |
| explore a range of perspectives – including those of policymakers, employment sector representatives, national employers and young adults themselves |
| present opportunities for providers, employers and policy makers to consider how they can work together to offer young adults outside formal education appropriate routes to training and work |
| consider roles and responsibilities in developing employability with young adults |
| showcase effective and innovative practice in developing the employability skills of young adults on the margins |
| gather and progress ideas and plans for driving the young adults and employability agenda forward |
Participants will leave with:
| a copy of NIACE's forthcoming 'Young adults and employability' briefing paper |
| a copy of the LSN research report 'Employability skills explored' |
| new ideas and inspiration |
| examples of good practice |
| contacts |
After the conference, participants will receive:
| a conference paper drawing together the ideas and conclusions from the day |
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Audience
This conference will be of interest to:
| Employers |
| Training providers |
| Policy-makers |
| Further Education tutors and managers |
| Practitioners and managers in projects for 'hard to reach' young adults from the voluntary and community sector |
| Local Authority staff from youth services and Education departments |
| Work-based learning providers |
| Connexions and Information, Advice and Guidance professionals |
| Researchers |
| Unionlearn representatives |
| Sector Skills staff |
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Programme
| 09:30 | Arrival and registration (tea/coffee available) |
| 10:00 | Welcome and introduction to the day Chair: Nick Wilson, Member of NIACE, Policy Committee |
| 10:10 | Keynote address Fiona Dawe, Chief Executive, YouthNet (invited) |
| 10:30 | Keynote Address: Education and business working together to support young adults Kate O'Connor, Executive Director of Policy and Development, Skillset |
| 10:50 | Keynote Address: Innovative approaches in supporting young adults at work Stuart Proctor, Performance Development Manager, Cummins Engines Company Limited |
| 11:10 | Panel discussions/questions |
| 11:20 | Tea/coffee break |
| 11:45 | Employability skills explored Input from Learning and Skills Network |
| 12:00 | Themed Workshops (Please indicate your choices on the application form)
These interactive workshops will provide an overview of innovative practices and opportunities to take part in debate and activity in a number of key areas
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| 13:05 | Lunch |
| 14:05 | Voice of the Learner: Speaking from experience Naveed Khan, Adult Learners' Week Award Winner (invited) Dave Thompson, Humber Apprentices Panel |
| 14:25 | Themed workshops (repeated) |
| 15:30 | Round table discussions and summing up |
| 16:15 | Close of conference (tea/coffee available) |
This programme is correct at the time of going to press. The organisers reserve the right to make changes to the published programme in the event of one or more of the advertised speakers being unable to attend. Delegates will have no claim against NIACE in respect of such changes.
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