Northern Cities Youth Employment Conference
Wed 19 Feb 2025 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friends' Meeting House, 6 Mount St, Manchester, M2 5NS
Description
Join Action for Race Equality and our partners, MEaP and Young Manchester for the inaugural Youth Employment Conference in Northern Cities:
📅 Date: Wednesday, 19th February 2025
🕒 Time: 10:00am – 4:00pm
📍 Location: Friends’ Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS
What to Expect:
This conference aims to address the employment gap for young Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage people (aged 16-24) in the north of the UK. Together, we will explore solutions to help them access better job opportunities and prepare for future careers.
You’ll gain a deeper understanding of the barriers that prevent diverse young people from accessing equitable employment opportunities and learn about practical solutions that create inclusive recruitment practices that work for everyone.
This national event is perfect for you, if you’re:
- An Employer - Human Resources/Talent and CSR lead
- A Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE) professional - career, apprenticeship, and employer connector lead
- Employment brokerage and organisation
- A Young person eager to shape their future
- Funder or Trust commissioning employment services for young minds
Confirmed Conference Speakers:
- Barry Fletcher - Chief Executive Officer, Youth Futures Foundation (YFF)
- Jeremy Crook OBE - Chief Executive, Action for Race Equality (ARE)
- Erinma Bell MBE - Peace activist and Councillor for Moss Side Manchester ward
More speakers TBC.
🎯 Conference Aims:
The content of the day has been co-created with young people to ensure meaningful dialogue between them and employers. The conference aims to:
✨ Identify how to reach young people from diverse communities who aren't getting job opportunities in certain industries.
✨ Explore ways local politicians/leaders, employers and job support organisations can work together to prepare young people for future jobs.
✨ Understand how positive role models can help young people overcome challenges.
✨ Highlight successful strategies and practical solutions for inclusive recruitment.
Did you know?
🔍 According to statistics from a House of Commons Library published in August 2024:
- People from Mixed or Multiple (11.5%) and Pakistani (11.1%) ethnic backgrounds still had the highest rates of unemployment in April to June 2024.
- The unemployment rate rose from 7.2% to 8.0% for people from a minority ethnic background, compared to a fall from 3.6% to 3.3% for people from a White ethnic background.
- Unemployment rates for Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage young people have highlighted a persistent gap in access to quality employment opportunities.
A study by Ipsos UK on the Local Labour Market found that:
- 39% of young people in Bradford are in work. Of this, 34% are employed in service sector roles (sales and customer service or caring, leisure and other services) and 19% are in 'elementary' roles (typically entry-level jobs requiring minimal qualifications/experience).
- 10% of young people in Leeds are unemployed and seeking work.
- There are expected to be 8% (5,000) more young people aged 16-24 in Bradford by 2034, and 14.5% (17,600) in Leeds.
The Youth Futures Foundation (YFF)’s latest report “Discrimination and Work” in March 2024, shed light on the challenges faced by ethnically minoritised young people entering and sustaining employment. The report showed:
- 48% of respondents reported experiencing prejudice or discrimination when entering the workforce.
- Ethnic discrimination was the most frequently cited form.
- 41% experienced negative emotional impacts from workplace discrimination.
- 71% of respondents were motivated to look for opportunities in other industries due to discrimination.
Agenda TBC but includes a range of workshops on reaching underrepresented talent, mentoring, and collaborative action as well as a panel discussion from employers answering pre-sourced questions from young people.
Along with other youth and community-led organisations, we want to see long-lasting change and a commitment to better outcomes for our young people from policymakers and corporations alike.
Join us on 19th February in Manchester to be part of this vital conversation and to help us put forwards solutions to address employment disparities.
It's time to take action on youth unemployment across the UK!
📧 For enquiries, contact Freya: Freya@ActionforRaceEquality.org.uk. Booking is essential to guarantee your place. Please note, you may only secure only 1 ticket per person. Any additional tickets under the same name will be cancelled.
By purchasing a ticket and attending this event, you acknowledge and consent to photography and videography taking place. These may be used by Action for Race Equality and event organisers for promotional purposes, including on social media, websites, and reports.
If you prefer not to be included in photos or videos, please email Freya@ActionforRaceEquality.org.uk at least 48 hours before the event. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us.
This conference has been made possible thanks to the Infrastructure Resilience Fund from the Youth Futures Foundation.
Location
Friends' Meeting House, 6 Mount St, Manchester, M2 5NS