Employability: Creating A Generation That Helps Themselves Will Reduce Joblessness

Aug. 24, 2011 - PRLog -- Rising to the collective challenge, four major employers will be joining forces with employability experts and business professionals to support students at the Student Career Bootcamp during October half term. The bootcamp, Founded by MYPAL Ltd, will have input from Genevieve Knight, employability specialist from MYPAL Ltd, Dan Schwabel, personal branding guru from the US and Bev James, MD and Head of Training for James Caan’s Entrepreneurs’ Business Academy. The bootcamp will enable young people to stand out head and shoulders above their competition to get into university or to get the job they really want. It will be held in London for two days for college students and sixth formers.


The recent riots and looting has ignited major debates on the reasons why young people in particular committed such terrible criminal acts. The popular argument put forward was the lack of jobs and opportunities for young people coupled with funding cuts to youth provision. However the fact remains that many young people still lack the employability skills to get and sustain employment. Currently 1 in 5 under 25’s are jobless. A significant percentage of over 200,000 young people left without a university place following last week’s A Level results will undoubtedly add to this unemployment total. The bootcamp will train students to take a proactive approach to create their own career and employment opportunities, to passion proof their careers and make their free time count. A west London college has already sponsored 40 places for their students.

Quotes about MYPAL’s Get the Skills Employers Want toolkit for educators:

I am hugely excited by MYPAL’s programme; everywhere I go, all over the world people are juggling with the same issue.  Our young people lack the skills and competencies they need to thrive in 21st century employment.  This is the first programme that I have seen that really addresses the problem; It’s easy to understand,  immediate to implement and is having a demonstrable impact! Use it….please, for our kids sake!
– Richard Gerver, International Speaker and Author of Creating Tomorrow’s Schools Today.

Genevieve gave a confident presentation and has a professional approach. The quality and standard of her work was above and beyond expectations.  Genevieve’s resources and materials are readily useable and easy to follow
-Kevin Munday, 14-19 Partnership Manager

In working with students, MYPAL regularly observes that students often struggle to present their best qualities to employers and universities resulting in an obvious barrier to entry. The Bootcamp will also focus on strategies that enable students to develop a personal brand and demonstrate on paper and in person, how they can add value.

With such an overcrowded and fiercely competitive marketplace for jobs and to get a university place, young people need to stand out for the right reasons. If we want employers to employ more young people from the UK to work in their businesses, we must show our young people how to develop and demonstrate the skills that employers are looking for.

If you are interested in booking or sponsoring a place for a college student or sixth former on the Student Career Bootcamp, please contact the MYPAL Team: 01932 788 341, email info@mypal.org.uk, www.mypal-education.org.uk

Notes for Editors

1. Business professional’s backgrounds

Genevieve Knight, employability specialist and MD of MYPAL Ltd (Motivating Young People to Achieve through Learning). MYPAL’s work contributed to an FE college winning 2 national Beacon Awards in 2007 and 2008. Genevieve coordinated the recruitment and selection of over 250 applicants for apprenticeships and successfully identified and filled 60 new jobs in Tower Hamlets. Genevieve is the author of Get the Skills Employers Want: 12 Fast Steps to Becoming Employable and Employed, a toolkit for schools, colleges and other education providers

Dan Schawbel, recognised as a "personal branding guru" by The New York Times, is the Managing Partner of Millennial Branding, LLC, and the author of the #1 international bestselling book, Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future (Kaplan, October 2010). Dan is the founder of the Personal Branding Blog, the publisher of Personal Branding Magazine, the youngest columnist at BusinessWeek, and has been featured in over 400 media outlets, such as The New York Times and ELLE Magazine. He’s spoken at Google, Harvard Business School, MIT, Time Warner, IBM, and CitiGroup. Dan was named to the Inc. Magazine 30 Under 30 List in 2010, and BusinessWeek cites him as someone entrepreneurs should follow on Twitter (@DanSchawbel).

Bev James is a successful serial entrepreneur and business coach with more than 20 years' experience in diverse sectors including coaching, training, recruitment and health & fitness. She was appointed MD & Head of Training for The Coaching Academy in 2008, the world's largest training school for coaches. Bev is also Founder, MD & Head of Training for the Entrepreneurs' Business Academy, a joint venture with James Caan from BBC Dragons' Den which was launched in March 2010.

2. Additional information:

•   Office for National Statistics (ONS) published unemployment rate increase of 7.9% (17th August 2011)
•   ONS shows that 1 in 5 under 25’s out of work
•   Over 200,000 young people will miss out on places at UK universities this year, the highest number on record
•   From September 2012, universities in England will be allowed to raise tuition fees to up to £9,000 per year
•   Working towards your future. Making the most of your time in higher education - CBI new guide on employability

# # #

MYPAL specialises in developing the personal, employability and career development skills of young people through adaptable training programmes for educators and career bootcamps for students. MYPAL's training enables young people to stand out, be extraordinary and exceed expectations.