A programme of activities to support young people who have left school this summer has been launched.

The Summer Leavers Programme has been created by Developing the Young Workforce (DYW), the Scottish Government’s Youth Employment Strategy.  DYW is made up of 21 employer-led regional groups, of which DYW Orkney is one.

Rachel Scarth, Project Manager for DYW Orkney, said:

“DYW groups across Scotland have been working together following the COVID-19 outbreak, to look at how we can change how we deliver our education and employer engagement activity.

“A lot of our work involves bringing employers into schools, or young people out to the workplace and that has obviously not been possible in recent months.

“We are also aware that many young people may have left school this year and found their intended destination disrupted or changed, whether that be if they were planning to go into further or higher education, training or employment.

“As a collective, the DYW network has developed the Summer Leavers Programme to support young people, parents and carers.

“The programme will be delivered virtually through Scotland’s Biggest Parents’ Events and the DYW Skills Academy.

“The Scotland’s Biggest Parents’ Events will provide information and updates on topics to support young people with the transition from school while the DYW Skills Academy is a series of activities and virtual experiences with industry to support young people build capacity to enter the labour market.”

Online Events

There will be four Scotland’s Biggest Parents’ Events throughout the summer which will allow parents and carers to hear about options and next steps for young people, including the things that matter to them right now.

The first event, School Leavers 2020, takes place on the Young Scot YouTube and Facebook channels on Tuesday 7 July 2020 at 7pm.  It will be particularly beneficial to those who have just left, or are about to leave school and will include information about the exam assessment process, skills development and mental health and wellbeing support.

Anyone interested in attending this event will have to register by Tuesday 7 July by visiting www.dyw.scot/sbpe

The three sessions planned for later in the summer are:

• Vocational Training – Tuesday 21 July at 7pm
• #NoWrongPath to Industry – Tuesday 4 August at 7pm
• Pathways to Priority Industries – Tuesday 15 September at 7pm

The DYW Skills Academy: Get Industry Ready will run through July and August and will include a series of virtual activities and employability experiences for young people.  Some of these activities are open to all young people, while others are targeted to those who are looking to apply for a job or apprenticeship.  This is a five-week programme and will include the following sessions:

• Week 1 – Industry Insight Session (open to all)
• Week 2 – Skills Sessions (open to all)
• Week 3 – E-Learning (open to young people progressing into employment)
• Week 4 – #NoWrongPath (open to all)
• Week 5 – Applying for Jobs (open to young people currently applying for jobs/apprenticeships)

For more information about each week’s activities and to register to join the DYW Skills Academy, visit www.dyw.scot/skills-academy.  Registration closes on Sunday 13 July.

Online Resources

Rachel said:

“Alongside the Scotland’s Biggest Parents’ Events and the DYW Skills Academy, we have also launched E-DYW which is a one-stop-shop for young people, educators, parents or carers, employers or organisations and includes multiple online resources to provide support to young people leaving school this year.

“The resources available include educational resources, employability support, online courses, financial advice, mental and physical wellbeing and virtual work placements.

“We hope that this programme of activity will be useful to our local young people and their parents or carers and support them in taking the next step from school into education, training or employment.  I would urge anyone interested to register to attend these events and access the support and advice available.”

For more information on the Summer Leavers’ Programme visit www.dyw.scot, or follow DYW Orkney on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@OrkneyDYW).  E-DYW resources can be accessed by visiting:  www.dyw.scot/edyw