What Role Can the VCS Play in Supporting Young People?
For many young people, entering the world of work is incredibly difficult and getting that first opportunity can be particularly challenging. Employers are looking for experience, workplace skills and examples of what someone can do – yet without being given an opportunity in the first place, how does a young person begin to build them?
For those aged 18–25 who are not currently in education, employment or training (NEET), the barriers can be even greater. Time away from work or education can affect confidence, while a lack of experience can make the next step increasingly difficult.
As the voluntary and community sector, we have an opportunity – and perhaps a responsibility – to help.
Across Dorset, VCS organisations collectively offer an enormous range of environments in which people can learn and develop. The VCS runs offices, shops, community spaces, gardens, events, services and projects, and working in areas including communications, administration, finance, fundraising, IT, health, social care, the environment, heritage, sport and countless other areas. That makes the VCS an incredible place for a young person to gain their first meaningful experience of the world of work.
More than simply volunteering
For a young person trying to find their way into employment, a few hours of volunteering each week can provide far more than an activity to fill their time. It can be somewhere to build confidence and routine. Somewhere to learn how to work as part of a team, communicate with different people, take responsibility and solve problems. It can introduce them to a sector or career they had never previously considered and connect them with people outside their existing networks. Most importantly, it gives them real experience.
So when that young person completes their next job application or sits in their next interview, they have something meaningful to talk about: a project they helped deliver, a problem they solved, an event they supported, a new skill they learned or a responsibility they were trusted with.
We can help make that happen
So this requires something from us too. Could your organisation give a young person their first opportunity? Could you identify tasks or projects that would allow them to develop useful skills? Could someone on your team spend a little time mentoring them, encouraging them and helping them recognise what they are learning? And could we think differently about the volunteer opportunities we advertise?
Alongside traditional volunteering roles, there may be opportunities in social media, digital skills, graphic design, photography, administration, events, research, fundraising, environmental work, IT or project support that would particularly appeal to someone looking to build experience for their future. Obviously, it doesn’t mean creating unpaid jobs – as volunteering must always be freely undertaken and mutually beneficial. But we can be intentional about creating volunteering experiences that give something meaningful back to the person giving us their time.
Giving someone a chance
The VCS has always been about strengthening communities and supporting people. At a time when many young people are finding it difficult to get their foot on the employment ladder, perhaps this is another area where our sector can make a real difference.
If every organisation considered whether it could create just one meaningful opportunity for a young person to gain experience, collectively we could open a significant number of doors across Dorset.
A young person may come to us looking for something to put on their CV. With the right opportunity and support, they could leave with new skills, greater confidence, a reference, new contacts and a much clearer idea of where they want to go next.
We may not be able to solve the challenges facing young people entering the job market – but as a sector, we can make sure more of them are given the opportunity to take that important first step.
Could your organisation offer a young person that important first opportunity, but you’re not sure where to start? Get in touch with us — we can help you think through what could work, identify suitable tasks or roles, and explore how to create an opportunity that is meaningful and beneficial for both the young person and your organisation.
