Publication
Employment and Youth Engagement Charter: Guidelines to Implementation of Commitments
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
The new Employment and Youth Engagement Charter provides employers with an exciting opportunity to bring about positive change in a jobseeker’s life by helping them on their pathway to employment.
To help jobseekers who are more distant from the workforce advance their employability options, employers are invited to help jobseekers explore the world of work, with new opportunities to build their skills and experiences.
Unemployment can occur either due to a mismatch of skills for available roles, sometimes a lack of confidence brought on by unemployment, or a lack of knowledge of the most effective ways to find work. Some jobseekers need additional supports and interventions to help them get a job or to understand what a job in a particular sector might be like.
The Charter commitments have been informed by a consultation with young people who identified the supports they would like from employers who could help them transition into work[*]. The Charter harnesses the capacity and willingness of employers and organisations to become champions for change in a jobseeker’s route to employment through actions that help develop knowledge and confidence, raise ambitions and goals for work and build new work networks.
Sign up to the Charter to help break the cycle of no experience, no work; no work, no experience.
Employers who commit to the Charter become part of a wider community of businesses who recognise the value of investing in others while also potentially capitalising on the value of untapped talent. The Charter community is aware of how they can positively support better outcomes for jobseekers and in turn how that support brings economic, social, and community benefits. This community is made up of like-minded employers who;
- support their own staff to become a mentor to a jobseeker,
- help a jobseeker to understand the work needed in a particular role or sector through job shadowing or work experience or
- support a jobseeker by reviewing their CV, doing mock interviews or providing motivational talks.
In doing so, staff of these businesses also benefit by developing their own skills such as active listening and effective communication and learn the tools to inspire, guide and empower others thereby adding to their own sense of wellbeing and improved employee satisfaction. Their work with jobseekers could become an integral part of your workforce development strategy.
The opportunity to become a Charter Champion is open to all employers and organisations, particular those who are willing to help a jobseeker to build their confidence and knowledge and to overcome any anxiety from not having skills or a job. All that’s required in a positive attitude to helping others.
By committing to the Charter, employers become part of a community of Champions who agree to undertake two, or more, activities that can support and inspire jobseekers in our priority groups.
The main focus of the Charter is young jobseekers, under 30 years of age. This is because unemployment, particularly long-term unemployment, can affect the sense of personal well-being and increases the risk of social exclusion, while also decreasing optimism about the future. Young people who do not make the transition into employment are at risk of permanent ‘scarring’. In other words, their longer-term life outcomes – earnings, education, health, and housing – can be permanently affected by a prolonged period of unemployment. In signing the Charter, employers are committing to tackling this kind of scarring and improving youth engagement with the workforce.
The Charter will also cater for other groups of jobseekers who may find it hard to get an interview, gain work experience or move into work and are exposed to the same negative impacts from unemployment. These other priority groups include:
- people experiencing mental health issues or have a disability,
- refugees or migrants,
- older workers who lost their job later in their career,
- people who have spent some time out of the workplace because of caring or childcare responsibilities,
- those who are homeless or have spent time in prison,
- minority groups such as members of the Traveller or Roma communities.
These priority groups may change and there may be overlap between the different groups. However, it is important to note that not all those in each of the above groups will need additional support, with many successfully progressing their own work opportunities independently.
The jobseekers who participate in the Charter will be curious. They want to learn how to jobsearch effectively, what skills are required and how to manage interviews effectively.
There are six commitments within the Charter. These commitments are informed by a consultation undertaken with young people in collaboration with INOU, NYCI and IBEC and a separate online survey to supplement the in-person focus groups. The work was overseen by the Employer sub-group of the LMAC. The young people highlighted their desire for work experience and skills development to support employment opportunities. They spoke of a strong desire for input by employers in gaining work experience, with CV development, mentoring and developing a better understanding of the roles. These sentiments were echoed by all the young people, be they from more disadvantaged area or graduates from college.
There are six commitments within the Charter and signatories are asked to engage with some or all of the commitments depending on the size and nature of their organisation. The way you approach delivering on these commitments (i.e. the scale, regularity, or resources applied) will understandably vary from business to business and over time.
What is important is that the sponsor commits to two or more activities that will help a jobseeker on their pathway to employment.
There are six commitments shown below to choose from, with some suggestions on activities you can do. By signing up to the Charter, your business commits to engage in two activities over the following twelve months.
The Department’s Employer Relations team will help you to consider how you can help and put all the necessary arrangements in place that suit your business best.
To show that you are willing to provide new opportunities for jobseekers, please go to www.gov.ie/Charter where you can indicate your willingness to become part of the community of Charter Champions. A member of our Employer Relations team will be in touch with you shortly to help you to identify what suits your business best and to help make the necessary arrangements. Their job is to help you implement your commitment in a way that is most appropriate, practical, and achievable for your company.
The value of this commitment is employers can benefit from financial incentives when tapping into new channels for talent and candidate recruitment. This commitment can contribute towards building inclusion and diversity in your workforce by expanding the potential for new candidates; research has shown that inclusive workplaces benefit the organisation and other employees in the business.
Learn more about the supports and schemes that reward employers’ consideration and recruitment of jobseekers within the Priority Groups for Support. These include:
- Examine the potential of the Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) to provide new opportunities for jobseekers to enter the workforce or reskill in a new sector or role. WPEP provides jobseekers with 30 hours work experience per week, training hours and mentoring over six months at no cost to the business.
- Register for JobsPlus which provides a financial incentives, paid monthly, to employers who take on young jobseekers, those with disabilities, migrants, refugees, early school leavers and from the Traveller and Roma communities.
- Consider opportunities to recruit people with disabilities with the assistance of the Wage Subsidy Scheme which provides ongoing subsidies towards wage costs. Building inclusive workplaces also supports important social contacts and networks for people with disabilities.
Intreo has a national team working across the country to assist in your recruitment needs. By signing up to this commitment, your local Employer Relations Officer can assist in curating recruitment supports that respond to your needs with direct links to people who are actively jobseeking.
Reach out to your Intreo Employment Relations team to find out about the range of additional supports available to employers for building their candidate pool:
- Contact the Employer Relations Officer in your area; information can be found on the Employer Relations Contact List or email employer@welfare.ie to make an appointment.
- Register on www.jobsireland.ie, the free recruitment jobs platform of Intreo for automated jobs matching and find out about our free Jobs Fairs, Seminars and other events on the What’s Going On page. You can also follow us on social media (Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.)
- Find out about the supports for EU recruitment and jobs postings through EURES Ireland, the network of public employment services across the EU/EEA that support jobs mobility across Europe.
- Get more information on other financial incentives that can help your business to cover the cost of recruitment and training such as Disability Awareness Training, Reasonable Accommodation Fund and also the Training Support Grant that can be paid as part of the Work Placement Experience Programme.
This commitment reflects your pledge to actively contribute to a jobseeker’s pathway to work by helping them understand the skills needed to prepare for a job application or job interview. This will require some pre-planning by you with a member of the Intreo team to ensure the scope and scale of your ambition matches with jobseekers’ needs in your area and within the timeframe that suits you. This will understandably vary from business to business and over time and you could consider collaborating with other employers in your area in the same activity.
Collaborate with Intreo staff to set up a meeting or an event (you may choose to work with other employers in your area):
- Inform jobseekers on the various routes used by employers to recruit. Highlight the importance of networks, using social media, using a range of jobs platforms, attending jobs fairs, speaking to employers and workers in the sector they are interested in.
- Provide jobseekers with insights into the world of work or what you look for in prospective recruits.
- Offer individual or group support towards the development of good CVs and cover letters that demonstrate their skills and aspirations. Show them what makes a good CV, advise them how they are reviewed and assessed and the importance of updating your CVs for different job applications.
- Help jobseekers to appreciate how the interview process is managed in your sector or business and the potential for different interview approaches and how to prepare and practise for an interview which may be online or in-person. Provide information on how to best highlight their qualities, skills, and experience.
The focus of this commitment is on building motivation. The aim is to motivate jobseekers to consider the wide range of options available and to give the jobseekers a broader understanding of various roles and sectors open to them. By increasing awareness of pathways into these jobs, it may also motivate jobseekers to avail of education and training options to access these pathways. This may include employees speaking of how they secured their job or an employer reflecting on their own experience of building a business to encourage the consideration of options for self-employment.
Collaborate with Intreo staff to set up job shadowing opportunities and/or roll out mentoring opportunities for jobseekers (you may choose to do this with other employers in your area):
- Provide jobseekers with industry insights on current and future skills requirements required for the world of work such as creativity, critical thinking and resourcefulness.
- Host a jobseeker open day and offer opportunities for jobseekers to explore career paths within your organisation.
- Facilitate opportunities for one-to-one job-shadowing to help a jobseeker gauge their interest and gain a better understanding of the role or sector. This can involve following and observing an employee in their role during their workday or a number of employees across a number of roles.
- Draw on your own experience to encourage consideration of opportunities for entrepreneurship and self-employment.
A commitment to mentoring brings both the mentor and the jobseeker being mentored (mentee) an opportunity for shared learning and growth through a structured process of engagement. Mentors supports the mentees to identify goals, access relevant training and development and inspire mentees to progress in their careers. This can bring lasting skills development in business employees.
Integrate practices that support in-work formal and informal learning and development
- Download the WPEP toolkit as an introduction to mentoring. Select suitable employees to support jobseekers through a confidential and supportive learning engagement over a defined number of meetings.
- Avail of formal and accredited programmes to train your employees in mentoring.
- Encourage staff to undertake formal and/or accredited mentor training.
- Invest in future talent development among young recruits through measures to support training, education and learning in the workplace e.g. support for Springboard , use of Skillnet Ireland training.
- Encourage opportunities for cross-generational mentoring, exchanging the ideas and knowledge of more experienced generations with the different perspectives and approaches of younger workers.
With young people being disproportionately affected by unemployment, employers are encouraged to recognise the importance of early employment experiences. These experiences span from the recruitment process through to positive onboarding procedures and investment in positive feedback, particularly in the early stages of a new job. Consider how your practice impacts of those who are more distant from the labour force and have little previous experience of the world of work.
Build opportunities for positive recruitment and retention experience;
- Avail of the Work Placement Experience Programme (WPEP) at no cost to the business. WPEP provides new opportunities for jobseekers who have been unemployed for over six months to gain training, mentoring and experience in a supportive workplace. The programme includes a personal learning plan and 60 hours of training (20 hours of which is sector recognised or accredited training) over the six-month work experience.
- Consider taking on a young jobseeker as an employee when they complete a WPEP – they will automatically qualify for the employment subsidy jobsplus .
- Consider how entry level jobs can be enriched to support skills development and encourage staff retention by using training provided through the Education & Training Boards across the country including Skills to Advance and also through Skillnet Ireland .
- As part of easing the transition to employment, support young jobseekers by considering the following good practice:
o Consider the inclusion of employment terms and conditions on job advertisements including pay scale, hours of work, opportunities for blended work and training.
o Encourage prompt feedback to young jobseeking candidates to help them learn from the recruitment experience. Invest in induction training and consider the benefits of assigning a work buddy for the early stages of employment.
o Provide regular feedback and opportunities for discussion to recognise talent and celebrate success as it emerges. Constructively highlight areas for the development of new skills and competencies. Proactively provide appropriate opportunities for the new recruits to flourish.
Many employers are already active in adopting workplace social inclusion initiatives and have signed pledges to promote this agenda. This Employments and Youth Engagement Charter aligns directly with those commitments. By working with Intreo, you have a direct link to registered jobseekers who need more help. In addition, the Charter provides an additional tool to employment personal advisors for a jobseeker’s personal progression plan.
The Employment and Youth Engagement Charter can make a difference for jobseekers. Sign up now to be a Charter Champion at www.gov.ie/Charter or contact a member of your local Intreo Employer Relations team.
