EmployabilityUK teams up with Acas to prepare young people for the world of work

December 15, 2019/ Debbie Smith / News

As young people prepare to embark on their future career, they should know what to expect from an employer, what their rights are and what to do if something should go wrong. Equally, to prepare them to know how to deliver on their responsibilities to their employer. The two-way street.

It can all seem very daunting, hearing lots of jargon and understanding corporate documents such as contracts of employment, HR policies, appraisals and workplace performance.

EmployabilityUK is committed to raising the confidence and work readiness for young people so we have teamed up with Acas – which stands for ‘Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service’, a government funded service.

When Natalie Goring, an Acas Trainer, Fair Treatment Contact kindly attended the launch of our Inspiring Young Birmingham initiative recently, we quickly shared strong ideas about an informative collaboration. To advise and guide young people giving them easily understood information and empowering them to know their rights.

The result is an easy to read and helpful ‘question and answer’ guide which is available to young people attending EmployabilityUK programmes via our online portal.  This guide provides answers to the questions young people pose for example what is the minimum wage? how much holiday am I entitled to? It provides a sample of workplace scenarios that may be encountered with further signposting to the wealth of information and contact detail provided by Acas.

Di Vernon, CEO of EmployabilityUK said “We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Natalie Goring from Acas for sharing our vision and commitment to preparing younger people for a positive future. We are delighted with the result which will be an important piece of knowledge building and continued referencing”.

Natalie said: ‘’Hopefully this resource will help to increase young people’s awareness of their rights at work and let them know that help is available to them should they need some advice and support. One of the key messages we advocate for in Acas is early resolution of issues at work, so building the confidence to have that chat with your manager if you feel like something isn’t right is really crucial and it’s a great skill to get comfortable with. It can make all the difference in preventing workplace problems.’’

Whatever your future career- know your rights

Please also take a look at the Acas website acas.org.uk where you will find a wealth of information and advice. Remember you can telephone Acas for clear, confidential, independent and impartial advice. T 0300 123 1100. It is available Monday to Friday 8am-6pm or use the Acas Helpline Online.