DYW Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian are recruiting a Project Officer to join our small team based in central Edinburgh with travel throughout the region.

We are looking for a confident communicator with the ability to work with employers, young people, teachers, parents and other partners involved in our work.  The role will support the increased engagement with our regional ambitions to involve more employers in informing, inspiring and hiring young people.

Would you like to be involved in delivering a strategy which raises the aspirations and broadens the horizons in young people so they are able to make more informed and supported decisions about next steps, through and after education?

Do you have experience of working in employability, with young people and employers and possess excellent communication skills with a can do attitude?

If yes we would love to hear from you.

Download the Job Description and full job advert.

Marketplace & F4S Graphic #1Business leaders are being encouraged to bring education and industry closer together these holidays.

With the festive season in full swing and stores beginning to swell, Developing the Young Workforce Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian (DYW) are asking businesses to give their time and experience to schools through the online tool, Marketplace.

Through Marketplace, businesses and education can connect simply and easily. Businesses are able to inform and inspire Scotland’s future workforce by offering skills sessions, inspiration events and career insights to help young people broaden their skills, understanding and aspirations for life, learning and work. The partnership with Founders4Schools (F4S) also means schools can make their own specific asks of business leaders to, share their career story, business expertise and passion for their industry.

Marketplace aims to makes it easy for schools and colleges to connect with business, bringing the world of work into the classroom – the importance of which is highlighted in the Curriculum for Excellence.

Michelle Fenwick, Programme Manager for Developing the Young Workforce Edinburgh, Midlothian & East Lothian Regional Group, says:
“Marketplace is a great tool for businesses to inform and inspire young people – whether by listing their own event, or making themselves available to come in to the classroom. The insights that local businesses are able to offer young people can be transformational”.

Businesses wishing to make an offer or sign up for Founders4Schools can do so at www.ourskillsforce.co.uk/marketplace and https://mywow.founders4schools.org.uk/partners/dyweme/.

Edinburgh, Midlothian & East Lothian’s Developing the Young Workforce regional group have released their Annual Report for 2016/2017.

The report details key findings and results from the past year, including the number of young people registered on The Guarantee, the number of employers to take on a Modern Apprenticeship, the value of pro bono activity, and more.

The Developing the Young Workforce regional group states their vision is “to deliver a partnership across the region which will ensure a positive destination for every young person and to transform the relationship between business, the third sector and education for the benefit of all three and for the wider regional economy.”

The full report can be viewed here, and more information on Developing the Young Workforce can be found here.

For the latest from @DYWEdinMidEast, follow them on Twitter.

Picture by Christian Cooksey/CookseyPix.com on behalf of Esh Border Construction and Beattie Communications. For more information please contact David Walker @ Beattie on 01698 787848 Ash Border Construction held a day for school pupils to come and see what it is like to be interviewed for a job. The event was held at the Macdonald Houston House hotel near Livingston. All rights reserved. For full terms and conditions see www.cookseypix.comRecord numbers of Scottish school children are set to benefit from an award-winning employability skills programme, as Esh Border Construction’s Building My Skills launches for the third academic year.

The initiative, which will engage 42 businesses and 2,000 students from 14 secondary schools across Scotland, brings together pupils and employers.

Its aim is to offer students a well-rounded introduction to the world of work, equip them with valued employability skills, and deliver relevant and worthwhile advice from real business people.

Simon Philips, Managing Director, of Esh Border Construction said:

“It is wonderful to have such a wide variety of delivery partners on board for this year’s programme.

“The ethos of Esh Border Construction is very much rooted in the ideal of giving back to the communities in which we operate. That is why ‘Added Value’ programmes, such as Building My Skills, play such an important role in our delivery.

“We are extremely proud of the initiative and it has been truly wonderful to see how it has grown in Scotland. Special thanks should go to our valued delivery partners, our Added Value team, and of course the participating schools and their ever eager pupils.”

Darush Dodds, Head of Corporate Responsibility and Added Value at Esh, said:

“The collaborative nature of Building My Skills is what makes it such a unique offering and we’re very excited by this year’s programme. It is great to see so many businesses on board as we look to deliver worthwhile quality careers information to the workforce of the future.”

Students from schools across the Central Belt, Fife, the Lothians, and Borders will receive five 45minute sessions from a range of business sectors, delivered across the academic year

Businesses taking part include: Edinburgh Airport, Peace Recruitment, Jewson, Peter Brett Associates, Contract Scotland, Kwik Fit, NHS Borders, Dyslexia Scotland, Fife Council, and Rabbie’s Tours.

Each session is delivered by a different business guest who will provide an insight into their career path, their sector, valued employability skills and support the completion of a ‘checkpoint’.

The scheme is backed by the Developing Young Workforce (DYW) programme – which aims to better prepare children and young people aged 3–18 for the world of work.

Jen Henderson, Programme Manager with DYW said:

“The Building My Skills programme provides a fantastic forum to develop the employability of students. The programme is delivered by a community of business partners who, by the wide array of businesses and sectors they represent, also offer a diverse breadth of insights which we haven’t seen before. DYW Forth Valley are really excited to be part of this and supporting Esh and the business partners to grow and develop our future workforce in Scotland.”

Students who successfully complete the programme will be invited to the regional mock interview day – where they will be put through their paces by a local employer.

The scheme, which is now underway, has received national plaudits including nomination in the CSR category at the flagship Scottish Business Awards, Business in the Community’s coveted ‘National Big Tick for Education Partnership’, and CECA National Inspiring Education National awards.

Companies wishing to take part in Building My Skills can contact addedvalue@esh.uk.com for more information.

On 8 August, exam results will be released across Scotland, and while some young people will receive good news, others will learn that they didn’t get the results they wanted.

Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) is Scottish Government’s national strategy for strengthening links between businesses and young people in education. In response to this daunting period, DYW has launched their #NoWrongPath social media campaign.

The essence of the campaign is to spread the message amongst young people that there is #NoWrongPath in life. The campaign, which will feature on DYW’s Twitter and Facebook pages, will seek to empower young people to explore their own unique potential, in a way that feels comfortable to them.

DYW is committed to reducing youth unemployment by 40% by 2021, and is keen to offer support and encouragement to young people, offering them practical guidance on the routes they can pursue to develop their careers.

Michelle Fenwick, Programme Manager, Developing the Young Workforce, Edinburgh, Midlothian & East Lothian Regional Group said:” We are aware that a lot of young people feel a tremendous amount of pressure at this time of year. The whole process of learning their exam results can be stressful, especially when they have to share them with family, friends, and peers. We want to reduce this perceived pressure by helping young people understand that there is #NoWrongPath. Many people in interesting job roles across Scotland may not have taken a linear, logical career path to obtain their roles, and equally there are others who may have taken a straight, obvious or traditional path. Few of us have everything planned out in advance, and the unexpected challenges on the way can end up bringing rich rewards.”

Throughout their forthcoming social media campaign, DYW will be encouraging employers and academic institutions to highlight the opportunities they have available to give young people as much choice as possible. In addition, DYW in Edinburgh will seek to raise awareness of ‘The Guarantee’, whose goal is to ensure that all sectors in the city work together to give young school leavers in Edinburgh the choice of a job, training, or a further education opportunity.

Please click here to view DYW’s Twitter page for #NoWrongPath.