The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) and the Local Government Association (LGA) are holding a policy roundtable event on supporting young people to access education, employment and training opportunities. The event will take place on Thursday 18 March 2010 from 12.45 to 3.45 at Bevin Hall, Local Government House, Smith Square, Westminster.

This policy roundtable will bring together key voluntary and community sector organisations and local government representatives that work to ensure all children and young people have the chance to secure positive education, employment or training opportunities. Discussions will be held around the challenges facing children and young people in today’s difficult economic climate. With the latest figures suggesting youth unemployment could be as high as one million and there being serious long-term effects to youth unemployment, there is an urgent need to find solutions. Additionally, we hope to stimulate debate about the role of the voluntary and community sector in supporting employment and employability prospects for children and young people in partnership with local authorities.

The roundtable will:

• Present the current picture of young people not in education, employment and training

• Set out the key challenges for the community and voluntary sector working with young people seeking education, employment and training opportunities

• Impress upon policy makers the expertise of the community and voluntary sector in developing solutions

• Produce clear messages about how the state and voluntary agencies should work together to ameliorate the worst effects of this recession on young people’s employability

The roundtable is running as part of the Speaking Out programme, an initiative jointly run by the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) and Children England - the leading membership organisations for the children, young people and families voluntary sector. The Speaking Out programme is a strategic initiative funded by the Office of the Third Sector, to raise the voice of the children and young people’s voluntary and community sector within key policy debates.

We would really like to see you at this event, which promises to bring together a wide-range of stakeholders to discuss challenges and seek solutions in what is an increasingly vital part of building resilience and stability in the lives of children and young people at a time of significant economic challenge.

Agenda:

12:45 Arrivals, registration and lunch

13:00 Introduction to event and briefing on Speaking Out Susanne Rauprich, Chief Executive, NCVYS

13:10 Evidence overview and policy context Penny Lamb, Senior Policy Consultant, LGA Overview of the effects of unemployment on children and young people Discussion of the proposals for working with the voluntary sector explored in Hidden Talents Exploring how all agencies can make the most of the transfer of 16-19 LSC funding to local authorities

13:25 Voluntary and Community Expert Panel How can the voluntary and community sector impact on children and young people’s employment opportunities?

Experts from leading charities in the field present their one key challenge for the sector:

• Prince’s Trust – Helping young people through training, skill building, business loans, grants, personal development and study support outside school. Ginny Lunn - Director of Policy and Development

• UK Youth – supporting over 750000 young people, helping them to raise their aspirations and realise their potential. John Bateman – Chief Executive

• Groundwork – supporting young people living in deprived communities to develop skills, talents and competencies. Speaker to be confirmed

• Rathbone – transforming young people’s lives through re-engagement in learning and achievement. Richard Williams – Chief Executive

• Volunteering England – supporting, enabling and celebrating volunteering. Alan Strickland – Senior Policy Officer

13:50 Roundtable discussions of each key challenge facilitated by voluntary and community sector experts

14:20 Feedback from roundtable discussions to the panel followed by panel response

14:45 Break

15:00 Political Panel Representatives from the three major parties respond to the key challenges set out by those in the sector, present their parties priorities and engage with the Hidden Talents work

15:30 Chair’s feedback on the political response to the key challenges followed by open discussion

15:45 End

For more information and to book a place please contact Dominic Weinberg - dominic@ncvys.org.uk