At DYW one of our main priorities is to make it easier for employers to connect with young people in schools and colleges across Scotland. We all have a responsibility to take an active role in helping to Shape the Future of Scotland’s workforce, and crucially we, as employers and career educators and influencers, are on the front line to deliver this. At DYW we want to make sure that employers and organisations who are thinking about engaging with education but aren’t sure where to start, or those who are looking to boost their confidence at continuing to engage with education have support to do this. New Resources to Help you Shape the Future We are pleased to launch two new ‘Get Started’ guides to support employers and partner organisations in mentoring young people and delivering work placements, alongside a new refreshed DYW employer training programme: Get Started with DYW.  Shape the Future through Mentoring Mentoring is an educational experience where someone in possession certain skills provides guidance, encouragement and/or expertise to someone who would like to obtain such skills. Mentoring can be mutually beneficial to both mentor and mentee. Conor, our National Projects Manager for all things related to construction, supported a young person to complete an internship with DYW Scotland through Career Ready. Discussing how this aided his professional development, Conor states: "It was the first time I had to carry out paperwork and due diligence for a work placement, and I also had to develop my mentee's induction, and then line manage her during the internship. So, I learned a lot about my skills and also development areas as a leader in the workplace through my role as a mentor." Conor’s mentee, Molly, also benefitted from the internship: “My Career Ready internship with Developing the Young Workforce allowed me to work on many skills, such as confidence, communication, using new technology and much more. All are very valuable skills to have when entering the world of work, and they will stick with me in further education and future employment. During the internship, I completed projects for the team and joined in with meetings which allowed me to gain a great understanding of what working in an office is like and an insight to professional behaviours.” If you would like more information on how to get started with mentoring, check our new ‘Get Started with Mentoring’ guide in the DYW Scotland Employer Hub. The free guide discusses good practice, and signposts to partner organisations who deliver mentoring programmes such as Career Ready and MCR Pathways.  Shape the Future through Work Placements Work placements and apprenticeships are work-based learning opportunities which allow young people to gain qualifications and relevant skills, whilst on the job. Employers can offer custom work placements based on the time they have available, or – There are currently three types of apprenticeship available: Foundation Apprenticeships, Modern Apprenticeships and Graduate Apprenticeships. Work placements and apprenticeships can also benefit both organisations alongside the young people they offer work-based learning opportunities to. Ruth, Digital Marketing & Business Support Executive for DYW Scotland, states that managing an apprentice has developed her confidence and aided professional development: “I gained experience in managing another person; preparing their shifts and planning their time. The planning aspect has taught me to be more flexible and to worry less about following a rigid plan. Managing someone else has also encouraged me to plan my own time better, as it’s not just myself and my own workload that I need to think about. Lastly, seeing our FA’s progress has given me more confidence in my abilities.” Lizzie, DYW Scotland’s Foundation Apprentice, states how the apprenticeship has helped her to learn about roles she had never previously considered, therefore, opening up more opportunities in the world of work: “I am enjoying my apprenticeship because I am being given fun and different activities for me to learn and experience what a workplace is like. My apprenticeship has expanded my knowledge of different job roles within companies as I have spoken with many people from parts of the company and heard about what they do. This is giving me ideas about what type of job I want to go into.” If you would like more information on different types of work placements, and support in delivering them, check out our new ‘Get Started with Work Placements’ guide on the DYW Scotland Employer Hub.  Getting Started with DYW Webinar Taking the first steps of making an offer to schools and delivering that initial activity can be daunting, and you wouldn’t be the first person to wonder how to get it right. We are mindful too, that not everyone has the prior experience of working in an education environment; perhaps the last time you were in a school was when you were at school yourself or attending a parent’s/carers evening for a young person! To support you to take these first steps we are delighted to share with you our updated offer of employer training and support. To coincide with Scottish Careers Week, on Tuesday 12th November, we hosted the premiere of our NEW employer webinar; Get Started with DYW. Divided into two parts, this two-hour webinar brought together a group of employers from across Scotland to find out more about how they can engage with young people in education, exploring resources available to them and identifying next steps. In the second part of the webinar attendees were able to hear from an employer who has delivered DYW activity with schools, hear about the successes and challenges and have the opportunity to ask questions. The next webinar is due to take place on 6th February 2025 and can be booked via our Training and Webinars page. Additional Resources to Help you Get Started If you can’t wait until the next Get Started with DYW webinar, we have a series of ‘Get Started’ Guides which focus on the most popular asks of employer engagement activity from schools. The full suite of ‘Get Started’ guides is available on the DYW Employer Hub and now include:
Summary It’s now easier than ever to discover how you can do your part in Developing the Young Workforce by delivering activities that suit you, your business or organisation’s schedule. Explore the new DYW employer webpage to learn more. At DYW, we take pride in connecting employers with education, and we want to ensure that the process is as simple as possible. We appreciate feedback, as this enables us to continually improve the service that we offer and ensure that we can support you to our best ability. If you would like to provide feedback about the new webpage, please get in touch. For more information about Scottish Careers Week, to access the toolkit find events, please visit the Skills Development Scotland Scottish Careers Week website. Comments are closed.
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