Age and a lack of experience were identified as two other barriers young people face when trying to join the workforce, in a survey of 200 local young people, attributed to the lack of opportunity in obtaining work experience and internships in the wake of the pandemic.
The study was carried out in a bid to better understand the challenges facing those entering the workforce for the first time as DYW aims to help young people step-into the world of work by providing contextualised learning opportunities, bridging the gap between employers and education.
Partnering with Dundee Stars, DYW Dundee & Angus hope to showcase some of the ways that confidence, communication and digital skills, the top three most important skills young people identified as feeling they needed to help their careers, can be developed. The mentorship will begin prior to the start of the season in September, allowing the mentee to see the season build up and behind the scenes, meet the players and also shadow various roles within the back room and media team.
Alison Henderson, Chair of the Regional DYW D&A Board, said: “This study has given us the opportunity to gain insight into the challenges facing our young people when the usual support systems have had to adapt due to Covid limitations.
“Our young people are having a crisis of confidence with one-in-five not knowing how to gain the skills they feel they are lacking, further cementing the importance of working with the next generation of our local workforce to give them the best start possible.
“The survey highlighted sports, health, and social care as the most popular sector for young people, and so we are thrilled to announce our partnership with professional ice hockey team, Dundee Stars, offering the chance for one young person to win a six-month mentorship.
“DYW has vast experience connecting with local employers to help equip young people with the skillset needed for success in the workplace, with access to work based learning opportunities, including developing transferable skills such as communication and teamwork. This mentorship embodies that mindset of skills development.”
The opportunity includes monthly one-to-one mentoring sessions with Dundee Stars Head Coach Omar Pacha, alongside the chance to experience various elements of the Dundee Stars Business, everything from events management to team training and marketing.
Omar Pacha said: “The winner will get the chance to experience different aspects of Dundee Stars business and team, allowing them to interact with a wide range of roles and help them make an educated choice about their next steps in life. Running a successful sporting team takes input from a vast array of experts so this is a way of getting insight in a compressed way that could truly help shape their future career path.”
To enter anyone aged 16 to 24 living in Dundee & Angus is being asked to send in a video or written entry to [email protected] stating why they should win the six-month mentorship. T&Cs: Written entries of no more than 250 words and video entries no longer than 2 minutes will be accepted. Closing date is 1st September 2021.
