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Marketplace is the go to for industry and schools and colleges to connect. The digital tool helps build young people’s job readiness and increases their career options. At the same time, employers can help shape young talent, address skills gaps and source their future workforce.  Marketplace promises to make it easy for employers and education to connect, it is quick to use and cuts out the challenge of finding the right person in the school – as the school contacts you.
Like any online Marketplace, the idea is to list an offer you would like to make and the schools reach out to book this. In 2018 we saw an increase in the number of offers being made through Marketplace which is great, however; we are still keen to see more quality offers so that our young people are work ready on leaving education. In a recent survey employers identified ‘Work Readiness’ as a key driver for engagement with schools. Interestingly, we saw an increase in offers focused on skills in 2018. The skills based offers ranged from employability skills, such as interviews and application forms to softer skills like communication and problem solving, all with an effort to focus on the work readiness of young people when they leave education. It is not surprising that an educator’s survey also identified an appetite and need for industry to be involved in preparing young people for the world of work. Whilst great work already goes on in the schools, research identifies that there is a positive impact on earnings potential and opportunities after education for every engagement a young person has with an employer. Many employers engage as part of their talent planning strategy and others for social impact. The benefits can be felt by all no matter what the overarching reason for engagement is. Engagement raises awareness of who you are and what you do. It’s also great for staff development; your employees will gain a sense of achievement in helping young people. The hope is that those employers who engaged in 2018 will do so again yet our future workforce need to be informed and inspired by all industries and we plan to build on the success to date. How to get involved: Think about what you would like to offer; Skills session: This type of opportunity helps pupils and students learn a range of skills around employability, enterprise and soft skills like tips on how to find and keep a job. You can also outline what is required to work in your industry and the entry routes available. Inspiration event: An inspiration event helps bring industries to life. Offer site visits to your workplace, deliver workshops on specific jobs or provide young people with a real life business challenge to solve. Inspire young people to explore their career options and raise their aspirations. Career Insight: Explain the job opportunities and routes into your industry at career events. Offer work placements to provide real-life experience of your sector or hold sessions with parents, carers and teachers to give them more knowledge of Scotland’s job landscape. Contact the DYW team for support to shape up your offer, or if you just want to wait to be asked without preparing anything in advance this is also an option to do so, we would be happy to chat over both. Employers can also register at www.ourskillsforce.co.uk/marketplace to find out more. Comments are closed.
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