Bank 's bid to prepare youngsters for work

NatWest Group has launched a new programme to support 13 to 24-year olds with readiness for work - aiming to reach over 10,000 young people this year.

Through feedback from partners, teachers and those in early careers, the bank recognises that many young people enter the world of work unprepared for its challenges.

Research conducted in partnership with the Centre for Social Justice found that young people feel there is a lack of support around jobs, work experience, skills and training with 87 per cent of 18 to 34 year olds feeling they couldn't get advice on opportunities and business ideas in their local area.

Publicly available research also shows that young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds are twice as likely to be out of education and employment than their wealthier peers and black youth unemployment has hit a rate of 40 per cent.

Forecasts show that the cost of youth unemployment could rise to £6.9 billion in 2022.

The new programme, CareerSense, will provide free access to a range of employability resources and tools and harness the skills and experience of NatWest Group colleagues to support the future workforce.

Alison Rose (pictured), CEO, NatWest Group, said: “At NatWest Group, we believe that embarking on a journey in pursuit of a dream should be an exciting experience for any young person. However, today, far too many 13 to 24-year-olds struggle to find their way successfully.

“As a significant employer in the UK, and a bank for young people and parents/carers alike, we have a key role to play in supporting and inspiring future generations to develop their skills, experience and employability, and ultimately to achieve their goals.

“We hold knowledge and resources that can be difficult for young people to access outside the world of work and we recognise these can help to prepare the workforce of the future - especially those from different socio-economic backgrounds. ”

NatWest Group will make a range of employability content for young people, teachers and parents/carers available through a new CareerSense website (mycareersense.com).

This will include a 'Find Your Potential ' tool to assess capabilities, technical and essential skills, and on completion, young people will receive a personalised report and free access to a range of learning resources in the NatWest Learning Academy.

The tool will also present potential career routes based on these capabilities and the individual 's identified values.

The online tools and resources will be supported by skills workshops for high schools (200 schools to be reached this year) co-created with our partner We Are Futures, as well as insight weeks that are supported by our social mobility partners, The Sutton Trust, Career Ready and Social Mobility Foundation.

CareerSense will be launched initially to 13 to 20 year olds and will expand to age 24 later this year.

NatWest will create a focused programme that supports NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or Training) to provide tailored and more in-depth employability support where it is needed most.