Rather than asking you to wade through pages of Government information and acronyms, the purpose of today’s article is simply to explain what you actually need to know as an MIA member.
Shall we start with a quick jargon buster?
Here are some of the phrases and acronyms we’re going to be mentioning over the coming weeks – and, more importantly, what they actually mean.
NEET: A young person who is Not in Education, Employment or Training. In the context of Opening Shift, we’re talking about 18–24-year-olds who are NEET and receiving Universal Credit.
Opening Shift: A new BRC + DWP work-experience programme designed to help NEET young people get their first experience of work. Businesses offer 2–4 week placements, with DWP helping to find and refer suitable candidates.
Youth Guarantee: The Government’s wider programme to help young people earn or learn – through opportunities including jobs, apprenticeships, training and work experience.
Jobs Guarantee: One part of the Youth Guarantee. It is designed to provide eligible young people with six months of paid employment, with DWP funding eligible employment costs under the scheme.
Youth Jobs Grant: A separate financial incentive within the wider youth-employment drive. Eligible employers can receive up to £3,000 per eligible 18–24-year-old they hire, subject to the scheme’s conditions.
OK, but why should an MIA member care?
I’m going to do nothing more today than answer that question, because there’s plenty more to come!
Because this isn’t just about “doing your bit” for young people.
For businesses that are already thinking about recruitment, succession planning or bringing new people into the industry, these programmes could provide a new route into your business – with DWP doing much of the work of finding and referring candidates.
And that’s particularly interesting for our industry, don’t you think?
A young person doesn’t necessarily need to arrive knowing how to sell a guitar, repair an instrument, run a warehouse, support customers, work in purchasing, manage stock, handle e-commerce or understand the musical instrument trade.
Also – from the young person’s perspective – I was reading a BBC article just last week which confirmed that more than 4in 10 UK teenagers want more work experience opportunities at school, with a similar proportion calling for more guidance on how to apply for jobs. You can read that here if you’re interested: We asked teens what schools should teach them about work. This is what they said
They need an opportunity to get through the door and discover what the industry has to offer.
Opening Shift is specifically designed to help break the “no experience → no job → no experience” cycle. Participants get workplace experience, a Buddy within the business and a practice interview at the end of the placement.
And here’s the really important bit…
You don’t have to become an expert in the Youth Guarantee to get involved.
We’re going to do the digging, work out what this could actually look like for MIA members, and bring you the useful bits.
More from us tomorrow!
