Burnley Council recognised for its commitment to young employees

Burnley Council has officially been recognised as a ‘youth friendly employer’ as part of a national scheme.

The good youth employer charter is run by Youth Employment UK and encourages organisations to work to the principles of good youth employment and commit to five principles: creating opportunity, recognising talent, encouraging fair employment, developing people, and creating a “youth voice”.

The award of a charter recognises that, as an employer, the council is willing to recruit and develop young people based on their ability, talent and potential, regardless of their background or expertise.

One in ten of the council’s staff are aged 25 years or under.

Vicky White, the council’s strategic HR manager, said: “It’s great news that the council has signed up to the Youth Friendly employer charter. Young people are a valuable resource and have so much to offer to any employer.

“The council is committed to supporting the development of our residents and attracting high quality and motivated young people to our organisation. We offer apprenticeships and trainee positions across the council and, as well as working towards a qualification, young employees are given various opportunities to complete other training from our extensive portfolio of learning activity which enhance the skills that they are already gaining in their day-to-day role.

“We’re also working to create a culture of passing on skills and knowledge in order to support skills development for the future. We offer a trained mentor to all our apprentices to provide additional support.”

Kate Ingram, strategic head of economy and growth, said; “Developing young people and preparing them for their future employment is vital for the prosperity of our borough.

“The council is also committed to working with others to get our local young people into work and develop their skills through, for example, initiatives such as the creation of the Thrive youth hub and Burnley Employment and Skills group, as part of the Burnley Together community hub.”

The council is understood to be only the second organisation in the borough to gain recognition, following the Calico Group which is already signed up.

Vicky added: “We’re hoping that other businesses and organisation will see the benefits of becoming a youth friendly employer and sign up to the scheme so that we can create a wider “youth friendly” borough when it comes to offering our young people the opportunities to develop and grow.”

More details about the national scheme can be found at www.youthemployment.org. uk/the-good-youth-employment-charter/