Employment helps people to be independent and be part of the community. Work experience and volunteering are an excellent way for a young person to show their skills and dedication on their CV, while also getting them access to useful references.
Work experience
Your child should also be offered the chance to do some work experience during their time in education. This could be for a fixed period of time, such as one full week or spread over a number of weeks during a term. This could be a virtual work experience or work inspiration opportunity. Schools and colleges have a responsibility to help students prepare for these kinds of experiences.
Volunteering
Volunteering can also help students develop skills that will help them in future employment. There are formal programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award or National Citizenship Service that schools and colleges will be involved in. You could also help your child to do some voluntary work outside school or college in an area that they are interested in. However, your child may need to be over 16 to take part in external voluntary work and they may need some support.
It is often hard for a young person to think about what they may want to achieve from their adulthood when they are in their early teens. But early planning is the key to success and so it's really helpful if parents and carers can work with their young people to start thinking about this.
All young people should be helped to develop the skills and experience and achieve the qualifications they need to succeed.