Skill Up Step Up: Jobs pledged for more than 100 young adults by employers backing our campaign

Employers who have pledged jobs include Compass Group and Ottolenghi

More than 100 jobless young Londoners will be given a life-changing chance to grasp the first rung of the career ladder, thanks to companies who have stepped up to the plate to back our campaign.

Almost a dozen employers have so far pledged to hire 119 young Londoners who have been up-skilled by Springboard, one of the charities we are funding as part of our £1m Skill Up Step Up campaign in partnership with Barclays LifeSkills.

The employers include Compass Group, which operates catering facilities at iconic London venues such as Chelsea FC and the O2, who have pledged 60 jobs, and PPHE Hotel Group, which owns the Park Plaza and Art’otel brand, and has offered 50 jobs.

Popular Islington restaurant Ottolenghi has weighed in with three jobs. This is in addition to the half a dozen employers who, as we already reported, have pledged to hire young people skilled up by our second charity partner, City Gateway.

It comes as new data published today shows youth unemployment in London falling marginally to 98,000 in the three months from September to November 2021, down from 105,000 in the three months to September 2021, but still 44 per cent higher than the start of the pandemic.

According to the Office for National Statistics, 19.5 per cent of Londoners aged 16-24 seeking work are jobless, a rate of 3.5 times the capital’s jobless rate for all ages – indicating that the challenge facing young people in the capital is as tough as ever.

At the same time, with job vacancies announced today rising to a record 1.247 million countrywide in October to December 2021, an increase of 462,000 from the pre-coronavirus pandemic level, there are opportunities which have been stymied by a stark mismatch between the skills demanded by employers and that supplied by young people.

It is this mismatch which our campaign charity partners are seeking to address by upskilling youths hitherto unable to access the labour market.

PPHE Hotel Group want to help and say they are “excited to welcome promising new talent into our business and support them in their careers”.

They have pledged to take 50 new recruits who would be employed as waiters, bartenders, kitchen porters and commis chefs on completion of their Springboard course. Spokesperson Daniel Pedreschi said: “We are proud to support the Skill Up Step Up initiative by offering a range of jobs across our portfolio to London’s young unemployed.

As one of London’s largest hospitality employers, we know ours is an incredible industry to start a career, with a multitude of progression opportunities.”

Compass spokesperson Donna Catley said: “We are delighted to support the campaign and pledge 60 vacancies which include front-facing roles such as commis chef, chef de partie, barista and hospitality and customer service operator. This is a great opportunity to help unemployed young people in London find a job they can progress in. We are passionate about developing the future generation and making sure everyone has access to the first rung on the career ladder.”

Pierre Malouf of Ottolenghi said they had pledged three entry level jobs and added: “Ottolenghi has always worked hard to support hospitality starters become professionals. The Springboard programme, supported by the Skill Up Step Up campaign, represents an extension of our efforts to support our community and society at the same time giving a leg up to those who need it.”

Our campaign in a nutshell

What are we doing? We have launched Skill Up Step Up, a £1m initiative in partnership with Barclays LifeSkills to upskill unemployed and disadvantaged young Londoners so they can be “work ready” and step up into sustainable jobs or apprenticeships.

Why are we doing this? Youth unemployment in London has soared by 55 per cent to 105,000 since the start of the pandemic, meaning that 21 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds are jobless at a time of record job vacancies of 1.17 million countrywide. This mismatch, caused largely by an employability skills and experience gap, is leading to wasted lives and billions of pounds of lost productivity for our economy.

How will it work? The £1m from Barclays will provide grant funding over two years for up to five outstanding, handpicked charities that provide disadvantaged jobless young Londoners with employability skills and wrap-around care to get them into the labour market and transform their lives. The charity partners we have announced so far are:

1. Springboard: they will support young people into jobs in the hospitality industry (hotels, restaurants, bars, leisure and tourism) via a three- to six-week programme that includes one-to-one mentoring, soft skills and employability development (confidence, work attitude, CV building, interview practice and time management), practical industry and hard skills training, including food safety and customer service, as well as access to work experience placements.

2. City Gateway: they will get young people work ready with a 12-week employability programme, including digital skills, a work placement, CV and interview skills and a dedicated one-to-one coach, extending to up to 20 weeks if they need English and/or maths qualifications, enabling them to gain entry level positions including apprenticeships in a wide range of sectors, including finance, digital media, marketing, retail, property and IT.

3. First Rung: they will help jobless young people into employment and apprenticeships by providing guidance, identifying career options, building their CVs and preparing them for interviews. Through coaching and mentoring, they will help them develop self-confidence, resilience, teamwork skills and pro-activity. Where necessary, participants will get help improving their English, Maths and digital skills. They will also engage with employers in North London to transform the lives of young people in their community.

How can the young and jobless skill up? If you are aged 16-24 and want to upskill towards a job in hospitality, contact Springboard here.

If you want to upskill towards a job in any other sector, contact City Gateway here.

For tools, tips and learning resources visit barclayslifeskills.com

How can employers step up? We want companies – large, medium and small – to step up to the plate with a pledge to employ one or more trainees in a job or apprenticeship. They could work in your IT, customer service, human resources, marketing or sales departments, or any department with entry level positions. You will be provided with a shortlist of suitable candidates to interview. To get the ball rolling, contact the London Community Foundation, who are managing the process on: skillup@londoncf.org.uk

How can readers help? The more money we raise, the more young people we can skill up. To donate, click here