Back to Work support for young job seekers

10 September 2015

Following the recent release of exam results Back to Work is urging anyone aged between 16 and 24 who is having difficulty finding work to get in touch.

Advance to Work, a programme within Back to Work, offers a range of services tailored to support young jobseekers through the often daunting job seeking process.

Whether recently out of full time education or facing problems finding a first job, Advance to Work can offer a combination of mentoring, training and work placements to help people into sustainable employment.

Challenges

The Minister for Social Security, Deputy Susie Pinel said “We are continually striving to ensure our services address the often changing needs of the Island’s jobseekers. People don’t always get the grades they were hoping for; they may have had to reassess their plans or are finding it difficult to set goals, and for some it is the lack of work experience that presents the most significant barrier to employment.

"We recognise the challenges facing this younger group are different to those faced by jobseekers in their 50s or 30s, which is why we have tailored the support offered by Advance to Work.

“The longer someone is out of work the harder it becomes to find employment. It’s a proverbial chicken and egg situation. By offering support at an early stage we hope to break this cycle and help people experience the benefits, both emotionally and financially, of paid employment.”

Income support changes

Advance to Work has recently extended its upper age limit from 19 to 24 to reflect the changes in Income Support that came in earlier this month.

Since these changes were announced, more than 20 per cent of those young jobseekers have already found employment with the support of Back to Work.

Deputy Pinel added “One of the reasons we introduced these measures was to bring young jobseekers closer to sustainable employment, and to encourage them to become more financially independent. When you look at the number of those young jobseekers who have already secured employment since we made this announcement, the results speak for themselves.”

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