Disadvantaged young people to enjoy more outdoor experiences away from home

THOUSANDS of disadvantaged young people are to get access to outdoor learning opportunities away from home so they can develop vital life skills, build confidence and resilience.

The Adventures Away From Home Fund, worth:- £1.5 million, will allow more children and teenagers to enjoy activities they 0erwise would not be able to take part in. The fund will see disadvantaged young people take part in activities to give them new experiences and expand their horizons.

Participants such as young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and young carers will be given the opportunity to try exciting new activities such as zip-lining, kayaking and cooking, supporting the development of skills like teamwork and problem solving. Outdoor learning has also been shown to increase young people's attainment in Schools and their attitudes towards learning.

This builds on last year's scheme where over 3,500 young people had the opportunity to take part in this programme from across the country. Young people said the experiences helped them overcome their fears and prepare them for real world experiences, with 1 young person saying:- "It was only [their] second time away from home" and that:- "the trip was an adventure from start to finish… We loved every minute of it."

The move to more than double this programme this year builds on Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer's aim to give young people:- 'someone to talk to, something to do and somewhere to go,' outlined in a recent keynote speech at the Onward Think Tank.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:- "I want every young person to have the very best start in life, and that includes access to exciting opportunities that take them out of their comfort zone and expands their horizons. The Adventures Away from Home Programme will support 7,500 young people to take part in activities not usually available to them. It will help them develop new skills, build confidence and resilience. We will support 1 million more hours of activity for young people in youth centres and clubs to give them somewhere to go when the School day ends where they can enjoy positive activities"

The Government is today also announcing the next phase of the Million Hours Fund is open for applications, in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund.

Designed to create more than 1 million additional hours of youth centre provision in areas with high numbers of antisocial behaviour incidents, the:- £19 million fund will pay for additional youth workers, volunteers, venue hire and activity resources for youth clubs.

The 1st:- £3 million of the Million Hours Fund was allocated earlier this year. It helped 400 youth organisations to deliver extra provision over the summer holidays: meaning more young people could enjoy positive activities during the break. In the North West, 67 projects were supported by over:- £579,000 funding. In Liverpool, a grant of over:- £8,400 allowed Kirkdale Boxing Club to deliver multiple activity sessions including:- fitness training and food education to vulnerable young people. The project aimed to encourage those taking part to build friendships and develop skills, helping reduce the potential for vandalism and violence within the local area.

David Knott, Chief Rxecutive at The National Lottery Community Fund, said:- "We're proud to be working alongside DCMS to jointly fund the Million Hours Fund to bring much needed additional youth provision and activities to young people living in England. Thanks to National Lottery players, this investment will improve young people's prospects and support them to thrive: a key part of our strategic mission."

The Government is also committed to giving young adults something productive to do via its partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund on the #iwill Fund, which creates opportunities for taking part in high quality social action projects. The Government is today confirming more than 60,000 new volunteering opportunities, supported by:- £12 million of investment, specifically supporting those from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Projects include:-Clarion Futures, which has been allocated over:- £630,000 to scale up their Intergenerational Social Action programme, providing opportunities to 2,000 young people. The projects will bring older and younger residents together to tackle local issues and explore ways to create more connected communities across generations.

Similarly, funding of over:- £600,000 to the Diana Award Mentoring Programme will create 1,200 opportunities over 2 years. Young people aged:- 14 to 18, at risk of not being in education, employment or training (NEET) will take part in a twelve-week mentoring and careers skills development intervention, helping them to improve employability skills and general wellbeing.

Since its launch in 2016, a total of 700,000 new youth social action opportunities have been created, supported by:- £33 million investment in the #iwill Fund by the Government. Young people who reported taking part in social action in the 2019 Youth Social Action Survey stated that it improved their communication skills, their ability to work in a team and their self-confidence.

Giving children and teenagers something engaging to do is a key component of the Government's:- 'National Youth Guarantee,' announced in 2022. This makes clear that every young person aged between 11 and 18 in England will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home, and volunteering opportunities by 2025, backed by an investment of more than:- £500 million.

This includes the Government's Youth Investment Fund of more than:- £300 million that will support up to 300 youth centres across the country to be rebuilt or redeveloped, and help 45,000 more young people access regular, positive activities every year.

Throughout the week the Government is due to announce vital support for the youth worker sector, in addition to mentoring opportunities for the most vulnerable young people.

6 months is the average time it takes for a graduate to find a job in the current climate

50% of new graduates have stated that it's taken them over 6 months to find professional employment since leaving University; whilst 17% of experienced workers (non-grads) have stated that their job hunt has lasted this long.

In fact, the trend seems to have impacted their time at University; with 50% of graduates who studied post Pandemic (2020 to 2023) stating that they were unable to secure relevant work experience whilst studying, with a further 27% stating that what they found was only for a short term basis (1 to 6 months).

According to findings from a recent poll conducted by staffing firm Walters People, those who have graduated in the last 12 months feel that their new graduate-status hasn't earnt them much bargaining power on the jobs market; with 72% feeling that they don't have:- 'much of an edge' on candidates who did not go to University.

A startling 45% of recent grads don't think their degree has armed them with the skills necessary to be successful in the current jobs market; with almost 20% believing that work experience would have been more useful.

Earlier this year the Government revealed plans to crack down on what they deem to be:-:- 'rip off degrees' categorised as those with a high drop out rate or having a low proportion of students finding a professional job after graduating.

However, findings from the Walters People research has established that the struggle to find a job was across the board from graduates; and not those from a select few University courses; begging the question; what's to blame for over half of graduates struggling to find professional employment:- 'rip-off' degrees or a difficult jobs market?

Janine Blacksley, Director of Walters People comments:- "New graduates are entering the most challenging jobs market seen in close to a decade; a mixture of less vacancies, salaries that don't match the cost of living, and high competition bought about by access to remote and global talent; is certainly playing a part in the time it takes new graduates to find a suitable job role. Added to that, we have seen a trend emerge amongst Gen Z's who; potentially having witnessed their parents or older siblings work in a pre-Pandemic corporate world; now place much more emphasis on the enjoyment of their job, the values and purpose of the company, as well as well-being and work-life balance; which is all leading to a longer time being spent on the job hunt."

Just 39% of graduates now think their degree isn't at all valued by the market, with a further 19% feeling it isn't as valued as they expected. And they may not be wrong.

According to research from the Institute of Student Employers (ISE), the proportion of companies requiring at least a 2:1 qualification from graduates fell below 50% for the 1st time last year. New data from LinkedIn illustrates a +90% increase in the share of UK job postings that do not require a University degree at all.

In fact, the likes of Kellogg's, Google, EY, IBM and BBC have dropped their traditional requirements for being degree educated; and with increasing prominence being placed on diversity, more companies are recognising that they are able to attract candidates from varying socio economic backgrounds if they do not put an undergraduate degree as a requirement.

Janine comments:- "The purse strings are indeed being tightened by companies; which in turn means there is less to spend on training, and so for companies work experience is far more attractive than a graduate with a degree and no experience. With the market being as fragile as it is, employers are on the lookout for professionals that have the ability to hit the ground running, rather than needing their hand holding."

This rasies the question:- "do degrees no longer match jobs?" Shickingly, of those graduates who have found employment, the reserch found that:- 53% have said that it isn't at all related to their degree. Janine adds:- "Whilst it is becoming common for graduates to start roles in positions unrelated to the field which they studied; doubt is being cast over the suitability of many degrees given the cost it now takes to attend University. Unfortunately this is leading to a significant number of graduates having to rethink their entire career trajectory in order to secure employment."

What do graduates really want? Although some graduates may finish their degrees with a clear career path in mind, there are 0er factors which are also important to them. When asked about the most important factor when looking for a professional position after graduating, young people prioritised progression (38%) and salary (35%), ahead of the role needing to be in a field related to their degree (15%) with job stability coming out last (13%). Janine comments:- "Recent graduates have their eyes set firmly on progression, as many will start in a company at an entry level position, they want to feel secure in the knowledge that there is a clear path for upwards and a salary scale to match."