World Youth Skills Day: highlighting opportunities available to young people

Author: Ciaran, GamCare’s Youth Programme

Today is World Youth Skills Day, a day emphasising youth participation in the workforce and the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment through high-quality work.  

As an organisation which works closely with schools, teachers and parents as part of our Youth Programme, we know it’s vital that we actively work with young people and have their voices and ideas at the heart of our service.  

This is even more important given the nature of our work in supporting young people with gambling in the right way for them, whether it’s their own or someone else’s gambling, and ensuring we reach as many people as possible who may need our help. 

At GamCare, we have recently been recognised as a Youth Friendly Employer by Youth Employment UK, an organisation with ten years of experience in empowering young people – developing them and supporting them into work. 

We understand the importance of being a Youth Friendly Employer, offering early career opportunities to people regardless of their background and providing a real chance to develop their skills. 

Youth Advisory Board 

One central way young people achieve this is through our Youth Advisory Board. Also known as the YAB, this board offers people aged 11-17 volunteering opportunities to upskill as part of a three-month programme, meeting once a week.  

Young people will be able to try out a range of different roles as part of the programme – all of which support our mission to help reduce gambling-related harm – such as content & communications roles, events roles, training & education roles as well as working with young people who have experienced gambling-related harm. 

Throughout their time with the YAB, Youth Advisors come together to discuss issues around gambling support and how best to help young people. The board also has the opportunity to meet with GamCare’s executive board to hear their thoughts on the future of gambling support. 

GamCare’s new early careers hub 

In addition, as part of signing the Good Youth Employment Charter as a Youth Friendly Employer, we have also developed an early careers hub designed specifically for young people.  

This showcases that we are invested in engaging young people and upskilling them to become their best.  

Many of the roles that we advertise do not require experience or understanding of gambling harms, but have opportunities to develop your skills and progress in your career. 

We are committed to offering high quality employment opportunities that enable young people with passion and a desire to learn and to take the next step in their early career, valuing their strengths and qualities as much as their qualifications and experience. 

If you’re a young person looking to test out your skills – or you know someone in your network who is – please visit our early careers hub.  

 If you would like to learn more about the Youth Advisory Board, visit our BigDeal website now or contact [email protected]