New support for young Londoners

Reed in Partnership is now delivering two new services to support young people in London.

Both services have a focus on improving young Londoners’ prospects as they transition from school into employment or higher education. The overarching aim of these two services is to prevent young people in London from becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) - or to support those who are already NEET to change their future prospects – by providing relevant and meaningful advice and support that equips them to access new opportunities.

Regional Director Nii Thompson said:

“Our teams are genuinely excited. Supporting young people to change path and take positive steps towards their future is precisely what’s needed at a time when opportunities might feel furthest away.”

Here’s a rundown of our two new services:

Youth Employment Skills (YES)

Co-funded by the Greater London Authority and European Social Fund, our YES service will provide personal support for young Londoners aged 16-24 who have Special Educational Needs or a Disability (SEND), who are currently NEET, and have social, emotional, and mental health needs.

Through one-to-one and group support, YES will provide motivation and confidence-building activities, life-skills support, short courses, skills-training, and access to work experience.

YES participants will be closely supported to overcome their barriers and achieve sustained education, training, or employment. We are pleased to be working with several local partners to ensure that those accessing our YES service receive the highest quality support:

Achieving for Children
Action West London
First Rung
Genius Within
Go Train
LMP Education

Young Careers

Young Careers will work closely with partner schools across London on behalf of the Greater London Authority. Part-funded by the European Social Fund, the service aims to inspire young people, bridge skills gaps, and improve employment opportunities through integrated careers advice.

Young Careers aims to improve the labour market relevance and responsiveness of London’s careers education, information, advice & guidance for students to meet employers’ needs and better equip young Londoners for the world of work.

The service will help develop close relationships between schools/colleges and employers/Higher Education Institutions in order to help reduce the number of students from becoming NEET or falling short of fulling their potential as they transition out of education.

We know from research by Ofsted that the quality of careers provision available to students is highly variable between schools, and that meaningful work experience opportunities are limited.

By engaging with Young Careers, schools can work to strengthen the labour market relevance of their careers provision, and target specific groups of students who are more likely to struggle in the transition to the world of work. Teachers will also be engaged and supported to increase their labour market knowledge and their confidence in delivering relevant and useful careers support.

You can find out more about the service at www.youngcareers.org.uk