The Mayor's Fund for London’s Post

Young Londoners are ambitious, capable, and talented. But many can never see or access opportunities – and the city’s employers are missing out. That’s why we meet young people facing barriers where they feel comfortable and safe to nurture their development through positive role models, workshops, and industry insights. These opportunities build the skills and networks that springboard our young Londoners to explore careers they thought were unattainable.    In 2023, our Employability and Skills programmes supported 14,939 children and young people. Over 3,000 of those young people joined our employability programme, Access Aspiration, and accessed opportunities they might never see otherwise. Take Queren, for example, who shares her story on page nine about how we helped her change from thinking she couldn’t do certain jobs “to wanting so much more…and achieving it.”    But we know there is still so much more to do. Only 17% of professional jobs in London are taken by working class people.* Our pan-London reach and expertise enables us to work directly with employers who want a more inclusive workplace where all talented people can succeed. We provide the pipeline that enables this and ensures London grows more prosperous and inclusive for all.  Read and download our 2023 Impact Report: https://ow.ly/vaUI50S0mHM  *Source: One City, Two Worlds, Mayor’s Fund for London and Oliver Wyman, 2020. 

To all other young professionals out there… what obstacles are you facing as you move towards your professional goals? For those of you in established careers… what would have made your professional journey more accessible and fulfilling? Young people are working hard, and London has higher grade attainment than in other regions; however, only 17% of disadvantaged young Londoners secure professional job roles, compared with 30% of the rest of the country. This disparity means that the homegrown aspirations of many young Londoners are left unfulfilled, and employers are struggling to nurture an entire class of creative professionals. Hosted in the illustrious Guildhall building, Tuesday was the London Bridge the Gap conference which aimed to encourage London employers to diversify their recruitment practices to help deliver solutions to London labour shortages. Under chandeliers, the conference addressed the gritty reality of London’s recruitment struggles. Chaired by Mark Emmerson, with insights from speakers such as Dame Julia Cleverdon DCVO, CBE, Floyd Steadman OBE, Ben Conway, Emma Cufflin, and Prof Dr Ger Graus OBE, the conference aimed to inspire employers to revolutionise hiring practices and shed light on the disparity in professional opportunities for disadvantaged young London talent, compared to their peers in other regions. As a fresh-faced attendee at my first conference, the discussions that followed revealed not just a gap in employment but a profound chasm between the aspirations and opportunities for the young creative class. To read more about my insights, click the link: https://lnkd.in/egUNVbxa Feedback and thoughts are always welcome. I'd love to hear about the professional obstacles everyone has faced, both big and small. The professional landscape is full of pitfalls, and any advice offered helps to build a bridge between aspirations and opportunities, lending new structure to young professionals navigating the professional world! P.S. Check out The Ideas Foundation's Ben Conway championing alternative routes into the creative industries, alongside McCann London's Emma Cufflin at Tuesday's conference!

The next instalment of Breakfast News has been confirmed for exactly one month today. 📅 Wed 10th July 📍 The Anthologist, London 💻 Broadcasted online '(Not just) London calling' - a theme centred around regional hiring. Just over 60% of students are living nearby and commuting to university whilst less than half of students now have a preference to work in London post-university (Cibyl UK Graduate Survey). The cost of living and cost of studying, plus the diminishing ability for lower socioeconomic groups to move to London - could all be having an impact on employers ability to hire and meet diversity aspirations. Join us or tune in to: 👉 hear from students who've made bold location decisions 👉 understand some regional employer-educator collaborations in action 👉 meet leaders hiring in the regions 👉 get a glimpse on hiring approaches in Europe and globally Register in-person or online, below: In-person: https://lnkd.in/eSA_HTfg Broadcast: https://lnkd.in/egP72gDe Thanks to our sponsors: Institute of Student Employers, Blackbridge Communications and Cappfinity. #EarlyCareers | #EmergingTalent | #FutureTalent | #EmployerPartnerships | #University | #Reolcation | #RegionalHiring

ICYMI: Latest from FE News: Investing in Careers and Decent Work: A Crucial Step Towards Building an Inclusive Society: Introduction Amid a worsening public sector crisis and significant skills shortages across key sectors in the UK, hopes of many professions and organisations rested on… Investing in Careers and Decent Work: A Crucial Step Towards Building an Inclusive Society was published on FE News by FE News Editor Read more here:

Interesting study from Bridge Group…while outreach can widen the range of people applying for roles in organisations, those organisations also need to consider how they support people throughout the early stages of their careers to drive real and enduring change in socioeconomic diversity…

Yes, it helps to judge #social #mobility by how many students from lower income backgrounds go on to a well-paying first job, but isn’t this approach rather limited by its reliance on a graduate’s first-job and we all know a job is no longer for life. Shouldn’t we also consider whether graduates achieve job satisfaction or feel they are making a valuable contribution to society after university? That’s the trouble with a new league table – the English Social Mobility Index – compiled by London South Bank University and published by the Higher Education Policy Institute and based on post-graduation salary levels. Some experts in widening access to HE suggest that #students must now “think beyond linear careers and into parallel careers” (a series of simultaneous, often fixed-term or zero-hours roles) with job hunting likely to be a continuous process with some form of unemployment permanently on the horizon. As for the index, #Bradford and #Aston were best in class for getting students from less advantaged backgrounds into well-paid jobs. The next four spots in the index were taken by London-based universities. Well done Bradford and Aston, but not so surprising that London universities do well with the comparative the strength of the London graduate labour market offering relatively higher starting salaries compared to nearly every other part of the country? More in University World News https://lnkd.in/etPYvGVp #socialmobility #highereducation #universities Nicholas Hillman Diana Beech Anna Zvagule Professor Wendy Alexander Dr Vicky Lewis Janet B. Ilieva Ruth Arnold Andy Westwood Mark Hertlein Johnny Rich @Chris Jones Dr Doug Cole Jon Down shirley congdon  Professor Aleks Subic  Juliet John Christopher Jones Karen McGregor Hanne Leth Andersen Sarah Atkinson Bill Greenwood Wade Tovey MBE TD MSc Ann Pugh

"This is outrageous. The commercial rationale for tackling the problem is compelling, both at the corporate level and for the UK economy. Rationally, businesses should hire people with the greatest potential to excel. But some corporate leaders have been strangely slow to cast the net wider. Paying travel and accommodation costs for job interviews and work experience, offering the living wage for internships and using admissions frameworks are trivial investments that can offer a huge return if companies then find talent in previously unexplored demographics and geographies. Business also needs policies to close class gaps in pay and promotion." Re the financial sector, but a reminder that class privilege very much exists - and that institutions still ignore it when considering disadvantages and policy. https://lnkd.in/ePc2MhYr

What are career opportunities really like for a young person in the UK today? That's the question we explored in our latest Youth Employment Index. The UK is positioned at 22nd out of 38 OECD economies, with The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Iceland leading the way. Our research reveals regional disparities across the UK; the South West performed best with the lowest rates of young people that are not in education, employment, or training, with the North East and Scotland having the highest rates. Take a look at the index to see the areas of opportunities and potential growth: https://lnkd.in/e6pmXFpG #YouthEmployment #EconomicGrowth #GreenJobs #PwCResearch

Let’s talk about youth unemployment. According to the West Midlands Combined Authority it is a growing challenge with around 1 in 7 young adults not in education or work, factors which can have a long-term impact on their employment and earnings. There is evidence to suggest it can also negatively impact not only their mental health but their physical health as well. In a report by The Prince's Trust with research from LADbible Group, “More than a third of young people polled… said money, lack of self-confidence, lack of experience, and the increased cost of living were barriers to achieving career goals.” Today at the Regional Cornerstone Employers Group meeting we talked about engaging employers to offer more opportunities to young people, particularly SMEs. There are talent shortages across the region and so many ways that employers can support young people into work. The week-long work experience model often doesn’t work and isn’t viable in a hybrid environment but would you consider: 💡 Offering “experiences of work” (i.e. short insight events or lunch and learn sessions) 💡 What about inviting teachers into your business and talking to them so they better understand the needs of your sector/industry? 💡Having a visible presence in schools/colleges/academies and a relationship with their career leads or leadership teams 💡 Engaging with your local careers hub - information can be found here https://lnkd.in/emW5Kx85 💡 Exploring whether apprenticeships might benefit your business 💡 Encouraging people outside of your organisation’s HR team to get involved in initiatives - it’s not all on them 💡 Working with peer organisations, suppliers and clients to look for opportunities to collaborate Brilliant to see Vikki Haines, Angela Moore and Jessica Murray. Thank you to Dan Heffernan for bringing so much energy and fresh insight. 🙌 Birmingham, you’ve been terrific. 🐂 #Careers #YouthUnemployment #Birmingham #BlackCountry #HR #CareersEducation The Careers & Enterprise Company Higgs LLP [📸 Image of me giving Ozzy the Bull at New Street station a big thumbs up.]

European countries such as Ireland, Germany, Italy, and France were emerging as attractive options, offering affordable tuition fees and favourable pathways to work and settle permanently. Dive deeper into these insights in my interview #EuropeanDestinations #AffordableEducation #CareerOpportunitiesAbroad #PermanentSettlement #InterviewInsights https://lnkd.in/eScC4icU