DYW - Scotland

Power of an Hour: Introducing DYW Scotland's Latest National Campaign

5/12/2023

In 2023, DYW Scotland ran four national campaigns including Young People Are Great (#YPAG23), No Wrong Path, A Job For Everybody and Creative Careers Week. We are delighted to be entering into 2024 with a brand new exciting national campaign: Power of an Hour.

The #PowerOfAnHour campaign aims to profile and celebrate the positive impact that one hour spent on DYW Activity can have on young people and employers alike. We start the year with a focus on the positive impact that mentoring has on young people and their mentors.

Coming Up in December

1/12/2023

November was a great month for DYW Scotland. We made it easier than ever to pledge your support to the Young Person’s Guarantee and we are over the moon with the positive feedback received so far. Many fantastic sessions took place over November, with employers, educators, careers advisors and other professionals who work with young people, learning about Apprenticeships and Careers in Financial Services. One of our flagship DYW Employer Training sessions - Inspiring Young Minds – also took place on Friday 24th November.

How DYW are Helping to Shape the Future: Scottish Careers Week 2023

13/11/2023

Today sees the start of Scottish Careers Week 2023! Scottish Careers Week is delivered by Skills Development Scotland, and in collaboration with local and national partners aims to help people of all ages to explore careers through events and activities, raising awareness of the services and resources that can support them to do so.

DYW launches a simpler way for employers to show their support to young people through the Young Person’s Guarantee Pledge.

1/11/2023

The Young Person's Guarantee, launched in 2020, is a commitment to connect every 16 to 24 year old in Scotland to an opportunity. We have welcomed and are truly grateful to the hundreds of employers and partners to date joining this commitment and playing a vital role in creating opportunities for young people as they prepare for and take their first steps into the world of work.

Connect with a diverse range of young people who can bring wider life experiences, new ideas and skills

26/9/2023

Developing the Young Workforce, DYW, are employer led and it’s our priority to make it easier for employers to connect with young people in schools and colleges across Scotland. We believe it’s a team effort to support young people to prepare for the world of work. By bringing together employers and educators' through DYW, young people across Scotland are experiencing rich insight and inspiration from diverse sectors, occupations and individuals who took different pathways to their careers.

How DYW Regional Groups Promote Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

14/9/2023

With less than two weeks to go until this year’s #AJobForEverybody campaign, we are sharing how some of the DYW Regional Groups promote diversity, equality and inclusion.

Partnerships with DYW North East
We develop strong partnership relationships so that we can help local employers to create diverse and inclusive workplaces. This includes working with organisations such as This Is Milk, Autism Understanding Scotland and Apt to highlight the training and support they can offer our region’s employers.

Creative Careers Week 2023 - Inspiring Young Creatives

11/9/2023

Creative Careers Week will return on 2nd – 6th October 2023. DYW will run the campaign in collaboration with Historic Environment Scotland and Creative & Cultural Skills, with the aim to inspire young people to consider careers in the creative and cultural industries.

#AJobForEverybody Campaign: Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

31/8/2023

This year’s #AJobForEverybody campaign will run on Tuesday 26th September 2023. The campaign aims to celebrate diversity and inclusion in the workplace by sharing stories and resources, along with encouraging businesses, their employees, and/or individuals to share personal experiences.

The campaign will coincide with National Inclusion week, which runs from 25th-29th September. To support National Inclusion Week, we will share content with the hashtag #AJobForEverybody on Tuesday 26th September, and we encourage you to do the same.

#NoWrongPath Campaign - Top Posts and Highlights

23/8/2023

DYW Scotland would like to thank everyone who participated in this year's #NoWrongPath campaign on 8th August 2023. Now in its seventh year, the campaign aimed to reassure and inspire young people receiving their results on SQA Results Day (8th August 2023) by encouraging people to share their stories and experiences, showing that career journeys are not always linear and that there is no wrong path to success.

Back to School: Energising young people in the new academic session

16/8/2023

DYW Scotland would like to send our best wishes to all young people, teachers and educational staff returning to school this week. Following last week’s SQA Results Day, some young people will be returning to school with increased or decreased confidence in their abilities. We would like to remind young people that results do not necessarily define a person’s ability or future success, and you have the opportunity to build on the results you received. Remember, there is #NoWrongPath. If you missed last week’s campaign, check out the #NoWrongPath hashtag on Instagram and Twitter to find real people sharing their career journeys.

A Message to Young People Receiving Their Results: #NoWrongPath

8/8/2023

Well done to all young people receiving their results today. We hope you got the results you were expecting and are looking forward to the many opportunities which await you in the future.

It is normal to feel a bit of uncertainty surrounding your future. We don’t know what’s waiting around the corner and when one door closes, another opens. Even when things don’t work out as planned, every experience contributes to your personal development and leads to something greater. Think of every experience like a stepping stone, leading you one step closer to your goal.

Career Ready Internships: Providing Value to DYW and Young People

4/8/2023

In July 2023, the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) National Team had the pleasure of Molly joining our team for a four- week internship through the Career Ready programme. We’ve taken some time to reflect on the value of this experience for DYW as well as for Molly’s personal and professional growth. We’ve also reflected on what made this a successful internship for everyone involved.

Marketplace Makeover – Positive Changes to How Employers Provide Opportunities for Young People

26/7/2023

After its initial launch in 2016, Marketplace became the go-to platform for connecting employers with schools and colleges across Scotland. Since then, digital developments have allowed room for improvements to the popular opportunity-sharing site. We can now confirm that on 19th July, the much-anticipated Marketplace 2.0 went live. To celebrate this, DYW’s weekly #MarketplaceMonday campaign was temporarily renamed to #MarketplaceMakeover.

How DYW Supports a Sustainable Future

19/7/2023

In March this year, DYW launched the My Climate Path programme nationally. The programme aims to educate young people on the types of skills required for jobs of the future, alongside roles which will encourage sustainable economic growth in a circular and net zero economy. There are multiple ways in which employers can get involved in the programme; through Climate Heroes or My Fashion Path. In this article, we hear from employers and pupils about their My Climate Path experiences.

Helping Reduce Barriers to Employment with the Financial Wellbeing Toolkit

12/7/2023

Finances are a major motivation behind finding employment, however, financial circumstances often act as a barrier to employment for many young people. Last month, DYW launched the Financial Wellbeing Toolkit to assist employers in recruiting and retaining young people. In this article, we will discuss financial situations which may affect someone's job prospects, alongside ways in which the Financial Wellbeing Toolkit can support you.

#NoWrongPath - Are You Ready?

5/7/2023

The #NoWrongPath campaign aims to provide reassurance to young people receiving their results in Scotland, by sharing stories of the various routes people have taken to get to where they currently are in their careers, and by highlighting that there is no such thing as a ‘right path.’ DYW looks forward to running the seventh annual #NoWrongPath campaign to support Scottish Results Day on Tuesday 8th August 2023.

DYW Forth Valley and University of Stirling to generate more opportunities for young people in the region

28/6/2023

University of Stirling in partnership with DYW Forth Valley have jointly signed a ground-breaking Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement which commits to increasing opportunities for young people in the region. Through this agreement DYW Forth Valley and University of Stirling will facilitate connections between employers and schools within Forth Valley.

These activities will be aligned to the ‘asks’ of the Young Persons Guarantee (YPG) which will help employers build a skilled workforce and prioritize young people in their operations.

Lynn Harris (Chair, DYW), Clare Flynn (DYW Regional Lead), Dr John Rogers (Executive Director of Research, Innovation and Business Engagement at the University of Stirling), and Rebecca Pankhurst (Scotland's International Environment Centre Manager)

Build Your Future: Inspiring the Next Generation of Construction Workers

19/6/2023

Construction is one of the largest, most varied and fastest growing sectors in the country. In Scotland, there are 241,600 people employed in construction and between 2022-2026, over 25,000 more people will be required. DYW aims to inspire the next generation of construction workers through the Build Your Future programme - an initiative which was successfully piloted in multiple DYW regions and is now being launched nationally.

#YPAG23 Best Bits - Campaign Highlights

13/6/2023

Last week, DYW and many of our partners celebrated young people in Scotland through the Young People are Great campaign. It was truly inspiring, and the campaign was highly successful. The aim of the #YPAG23 campaign is to highlight the key achievements and resilience of young people across Scotland and we are delighted with the campaign's success.

Celebrating Resilience and Inspiring Inclusive Recruitment - A Message from Sandy Begbie

6/6/2023

Today we celebrate the achievements and resilience of young people in Scotland through the #YPAG23 campaign. This campaign, created by the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) network across Scotland, gives us all the opportunity to share and be inspired by stories that showcase why Young People Are Great!

An essential part of Scotland’s Young Persons Guarantee, DYW are dedicated to bridging the gap between education and employment. As a network of employer-led boards across Scotland, we experience first-hand and understand the tremendous potential of young people.

Sandy Begbie: CBE, FRSE, Chair of DYW Employers Forum and the Young Person’s Guarantee, Chief Executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise

Drive2Work: Making Employment Accessible in Rural Communities

24/5/2023

The Drive2Work project supports young people (and employers) in Argyll, in the arrangement of driving lessons and driving tests - with the aim of increasing employability. Young people leaving school with either barriers to employment or no positive destination are referred to Mid Argyll Youth Development Services (MAYDS), either by school staff or a DYW School Coordinator, who then supports the young person via the Workingrite programme.

Volunteering for Forth Valley Sensory Centre

17/5/2023

Forth Valley Sensory Centre (FVSC) is a charity that supports deaf, hard of hearing, blind and partially sighted people of all ages across Forth Valley. They deliver over 30 groups, classes and activities and have a Sensory Garden, Kitchen Garden, Sensory Room and public Café. Amna, Max and Chrislyn are 3 pupils who volunteer at the centre to gain work experience in their local community and develop skills for life after school. FVSC wish to continue to highlight the work of the centre to young people and their families in the area.

#YPAG23 - Are you Ready?

9/5/2023

Now in its second year running, the Young People Are Great campaign seeks to challenge negative stereotypes and misconceptions about young people, and to celebrate their achievements, resilience and contribution to Scottish society. DYW would like to encourage employers, educators and partners to get involved by sharing positive stories of young people within their organisation(s) on 6th June 2023.

Circular Economy Challenge

17/4/2023

The Circular Economy Challenge is designed to introduce pupils to the benefits and principles of the Circular Economy through case studies and interaction with business ambassadors. Pupils work in groups to design a 'circular' product or service where everything has value, and nothing is wasted. Young Enterprise Scotland and Developing the Young Workforce Edinburgh, Midlothian & East Lothian are working in partnership to deliver this programme for P5-P7 pupils.

DYW Evaluation: Educator Engagement

15/3/2023

On Monday 13th March, Scottish Government published two reports. This article covers a summary of the published document: The Impact of Scotland's Developing Young Workforce Strategy on Education. To read our article about the published report relating to employers, click here. Scottish Government commissioned The Lines Between - an Edinburgh-based research agency - to carry out research throughout 2022.

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