July 15 is recognised as World Youth Skills Day by the United Nations. The main goal of this day is to shine a light on the importance of helping young people gain essential skills for employment, work and entrepreneurship.

COVID-19 and the impacts of youth employment:

The pandemic has had a severe impact on young people. The closure of schools and colleges has impacted the youth and their education. The COVID-19 crisis has had a significant effect on unemployment rates, especially among young people, aged 15-24. According to United Nations, “globally, youth employment fell by 8.7 per cent in 2020, compared with 3.7 per cent for adults”. Looking beyond COVID-19, the recovery of youth employment is essential. The government have responded to this crisis by putting schemes in place to help recover the UK economy and employment rates. These include the Kickstart Scheme, traineeships and employer apprenticeship incentives.

Importance of World Youth Skills Day:

World Youth Skills Day aims to celebrate the importance of equipping young people with the necessary skills and knowledge for employment and working life. World Youth Skills Day provides us with the opportunity to highlight how organisations and employers can involve themselves to provide opportunities for our future workforce.

How can you help?

Under the Plan for Jobs, the government have created multiple incentives for businesses to help recover the UK economy post COVID-19:

Traineeship employer incentive – As a business, you could receive up to £10,000! Employers who offer traineeship work placements and complete the feedback at the end of each placement is eligible for a £1,000 incentive payment for up to 10 trainees. Find out more about traineeships and employer incentives!

Apprenticeship employer incentive – The government have recognised the importance of apprenticeships. For every apprentice you take on between 1st April 2021 and 30th September, you can claim a £3,000 incentive payment! Find out more about apprenticeship incentives!

The Kickstart scheme – The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to create 6-month job placements for 16- to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long-term unemployment.  Each placement will be 100% funded understand of the government Plan for Jobs scheme. As an employer, you will also receive £1,500 available for setup costs, support, and training. Find out more about the Kickstart scheme and government funding.