Law Firm Partners with NFP to Tackle Youth Unemployment
7 October 2015 at 11:15 am
A national law firm has partnered with the FM Foundation to deliver the Youth Employment Project to assist disadvantaged young people into employment pathways.
The Youth Unemployment Project (YEP) is a series of practical workshops, run in the offices of Colin Biggers & Paisley in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, providing participants with the skills and support to find work and stay employed.
The firm’s employees will share their career knowledge and experience to help young people understand the workplace environment and the importance of study and further education.
"These workshops aim to provide students with an active learning environment to help broaden their horizons and expose them to the steps required to enter further education or apply for jobs," Head of Corporate Responsibility, Daniel Creasey, said.
"It will be a rewarding experience for our staff when they use their skills and expertise to help these young students gain a greater understanding of themselves and the career options available to them."
Participants will learn how to write a CV, apply for a job and present themselves in an interview.
YEP will assist people aged 12 to 25 years of age who face barriers to employment, including culturally and linguistically challenged communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those with disability.
The program will be overseen by the FM Foundation which provides specialist careers and employment support to young people who experience disadvantage. Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Daniela Ascone, said corporate engagement is vital to the Foundation’s work.
"We are delighted to welcome the Colin Biggers & Paisley Foundation as a corporate partner to help us to support disadvantaged youth to connect with business and acquire the skills they need to achieve their employment goals," Ascone said.
"Our corporate partners give back to the community and share their knowledge to enhance the experiences of disadvantaged youth so that they develop the confidence and motivation they need to succeed.
“We celebrate the passion and commitment that the staff of our corporate partners have for our young people as 'it takes a village to raise a child'. A whole community approach is needed to support our future generations and help combat high youth unemployment in Australia."
The Colin Biggers & Paisley Foundation began early in 2015 with the intention of contributing to women’s and children’s causes in Australia and overseas through pro bono legal work, corporate volunteering and charitable contributions.
The firm said YEP was created in response to the growing youth unemployment rate, which is currently at 13.7 per cent, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data. This figure is only a slight improvement on early 2015 when the rate peaked at 15 per cent, or more than 300,000 unemployed youth, including 60,000 long-term.
