Season One – Youth Employment
The first season of Catch22Minutes is focusing on youth employment and is presented by Catch22’s Director of Communications, Melissa Milner.
Each episode will be looking at how society can both prepare young people for today’s job market and improve the opportunities available to all young people.
- Episode 1: Digital Skills
- Episode 2: Hospitality Sector
- Episode 3: What’s a Good First Job?
- Episode 4: Employment as Youth Diversion
You can listen – and subscribe – to #Catch22Minutes on:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Anchor
Episode One – Digital Skills
Around 1 in 6 young people in the UK who are searching for a job are unable to find one. The pandemic has meant many of the roles that have traditionally been occupied by young people haven’t been available, but one sector growing more rapidly than most is in technology.
In our first episode, we interview Microsoft’s Philanthropies Lead Sarah Foxall and TechUK’s Policy Manager in Skills, Talent and Diversity, Nimmi Patel, and from Lauren, straight from Catch22’s Digital Edge programme. Digital Edge is a 4-week course that supports young people access a digital apprenticeship or entry level IT job with a local employer within Microsoft’s network of customers and partners.
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Listen to Episode 1 on:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Anchor
Episode Two – Hospitality Sector
The UK Hospitality Industry employs over 3.2 million people and contributes to over £130 billion in economic activity, but it’s been hit hard by both Brexit and the impact of COVID-19. As the country reopens and the recovery starts, we discuss what the opportunities are for young people wanting to start a career in hospitality – and what that means for businesses looking to recruit.
We are joined by The House of St Barnabas CEO Rosie Ferguson and Pophams Bakery Founder Ollie Gold, and we hear directly from Step22 Apprentice Patrick. Step22 is a recruitment and training solution that gets great people into great jobs in the hospitality sector, all funded by the apprenticeship levy.
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Listen to Episode 2 on:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Anchor
Episode Three – What’s a Good First Job?
For many young people, first jobs are simply a way of making some money, often whilst studying or seeking something more permanent. But a good first job can provide valuable skills or insight into an industry that you’d not considered before.
Joined by Sam Olsen, CEO of Movement to Work, and David Allison, CEO of Get My First Job, we discuss first jobs and how we can tackle underemployment – where people find themselves in roles that are low-paid, low-skilled and insecure. You’ll also hear from Savannah Dixon, currently on the government’s Kickstart programme and working at Catch22 supporting the employability and NCS teams on their social media.
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Listen to Episode 3 on:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Anchor
Episode Four – Employment as Youth Diversion
In the UK, more than 720,000 young people aged 16-24 are classed as NEET (not in education, employment or training). Studies show that time spent NEET can have a detrimental effect on physical and mental health, and increase the likelihood of unemployment, low wages, or low quality of work later on in life. It can also increase some young people’s risk of serious violence.
So how can employment-related support divert young people away from risky behaviours? And what does it take to motivate and engage the younger generation and work with them to find purpose and transition into work?
Darwin Bernardo, Community Engagement Lead at the Mayor of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, and Stephen Greene, CEO of Apprentice Nation and Rockcorps, join us for this episode. Anthony Owuso-Ansah, who completed The Social Switch Project’s training and is now completing an apprenticeship at Google, also joins us.
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Listen to Episode 4 on:
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Anchor