1. www.cymru.gov.uk Employability Programmes (Looking Forward) Heather Davidson Senior Youth Engagement and Employment Manager Ian Raybould Senior Manager, Skill Build Development Nick Lee Head of Youth Engagement and Employment

2. Workshop Content Statistical information Youth engagement and employment action plan (those aged 16-24 years) Workshop questions for discussion

3. Statistics

4. Youth unemployment rates (16-24) Circa14,000 young people (16-18) NEET in Wales (i.e. 12%) proportion of 19-24 year olds who are NEET has increased by 4 % between 2008 and 2009 to circa 32,000 (i.e. 22 %) 16-24 unemployment in Wales  45,900 in 2009 which is a rate of 19.9 per cent, higher than the UK rate of 18.7 per cent.

5. Statistics – Key analysis Current forecasts are that youth unemployment will continue to rise Cutbacks in public sector jobs unlikely to impact directly on youth unemployment Increases in tuition fees may have an impact

6. Priority sectors for support An assessment of skills needs is currently being undertaken. WAG has prioritised sectors for support taking account of the Economic Renewal Programme and wider policy priorities Low carbon & energy, advanced engineering & manufacturing, ICT / telecoms and the creative industries

7. Youth engagement and employment action plan (those aged 16-24 years)

8. Key Developments What has happened to date? Wales Employment & Skills Board Youth Unemployment Task & Finish Group NEET Review Operational Group

9. Youth Engagement and Employment Action Plan One Programme of work going forward – Youth Engagement and Employment Action Plan One of the Key Outcomes is to provide young people with opportunities to gain employability skills and work experience with a view to progression within a defined framework.

10. Pathways to Work A single, flexible and coherent routeway for young people who do not have positive or sustained engagement with one of the main post-16 options. It could look like: Progression Engagement Skills Development / Work experience Employment with or without formal training Sustained Employment

11. Pathways to Work There are a number of challenges going forward to deliver this: –Multi-agency approach –Employer engagement –Celebrating success, progression and achievement –Integrated provision to meet an individual’s needs e.g. those with a disability

12. Workshop

13. Group One What are the barriers for employers to take on a young person (16-24) and what could we do, which is not already happening, to overcome these? Group Two How could we improve existing provision to engage and address the needs of young people (16-24) who have a disability or additional learning needs to progress into employment? Group Three How could we ensure the successes and progression of young people (16-24) on their Pathways to Work are celebrated in line with academic achievements?

14. Closing Remarks