GET SET Pack Launch
At the Club launch February 10 2014 YouthAction representatives Clare Conlon, Training Team Leade, Amy Gillen, Get Set Work Placement Mentor, and Anne McTaggert, Development Manager presented details of the pack. The Pack aims to help young people apply for a job who may not have the confidence, qualifications or communications skills to access the employment market as it contains the resources for them:
- to recognise their own individual skills, confidently talk about them and link their skills with job descriptions and employer requirements
- to have a well structured CV which the young person is proud of and can easily talk about
- to experience an interview situation and receive feedback from professionals.
Key to the personal developmental process is the pack's structured approach to learning which can be undertaken in manageable elements, the opportunity to participate in support sessions delivered by trained youth work staff and access to business mentors who can help to unpack the expectations and requirements of employers and the realities of the work environment.
The strength of the pack is that it can either be used as a complete developmental process, in a group setting, or individual exercises can be undertaken depending on the requirements of individual young people.
Welcoming the development of the Resource Pack, June Trimble, CEO of YouthAction NI said:"YouthAction is committed to tackling youth unemployment and we are delighted to have had the support of our business partners in this exciting and much needed resource. The partners have placed their unique business skills alongside our youth work approaches and together we have supported young people through - new learning opportunities; building confidence; improving communications and interview skills and in setting out employers' expectations and requirements. We'll now be using the pack with many more young people, in the coming months".
As Business Partners in the project Ulster Bank & The Rotary Club of Belfast worked directly with young people to open up an understanding of the work environment and in bringing employer experience and expectations to the table. Jeff Aiken, Senior Manager, Learning for Ulster Bank said: "Ulster Bank is delighted to be partnered in helping to develop this practical resource pack for young people. With youth unemployment in Northern Ireland running at more than 20%, practical initiatives like this are much needed to help improve the job prospects of young people in our communities. We commend this excellent resource, which is packed with good advice and tips for young people, and we wish them continued success in their work".
Also commending the development Brian Smart, Department for Employment and Learning pointed out: "The Collaboration and Innovation Fund is a key element of the Executive's 'Pathways to Success' Strategy. It has been designed to explore new approaches to address both the specific and general barriers to employment faced by young people who are not in education, employment or training, particularly those with multiple barriers to employment. The Youth Action Get Set project and the Get Set To Go initiative are excellent examples of collaborative and innovative activity which focus on developing the employability skills and capabilities of unemployed young people. This new Get Set to be Hired Resource Pack for Young People will provide the type of practical activities that will enable unemployed young people to improve their employability prospects".
Club Award to June Trimble, CEO YouthAction NI
The Club have bestowed a Paul Harris Fellowship to June Trimble MBE, CEO YouthAction NI in recognition of her service to the community.
President Ken presented her with the Award at the YouthAction NI Annual Charity Lunch, Sunday 22 June, at Deanes at Queens.
Thanking the Club for the tribute she said: "I feel honoured and humbled and I know it is in recognition of all the work of all the staff and volunteers at YouthAction."