The Youth Advisory Board is to expand following a successful launch last year – with one member already now sitting on a national panel.
The LLEP Youth Advisory Board (YAB) was created after recruiting seven people, aged between 16 and 24, from local schools, colleges and universities.
Those young people are now acting as representatives of their peers at the heart of the LLEP’s Careers Hub.
The YAB provides a platform for young people to problem solve with LLEP officers, as well as to engage, inform and influence LLEP networks.
Recruitment started in the Autumn of 2021 and the group has now grown to 10 – with plans in place to expand it further.
The Board has reported several early successes since first meeting in February, with members making progress in engaging their community in sustainable careers.
The YAB organised and hosted an Enterprise Day at Charnwood College in May in which guest speakers met with Year 10s.
Members also set up a Dragon’s Den-style activity, where the young people created a proposal for a design for a sustainable workplace.
Elsewhere, YAB member Oli Bochenek has been selected for a seat on the Careers and Enterprise Company’s (CEC’s) national Youth Advisory Group.
The CEC supports schools and colleges across England as the national body for careers education. Melton Vale Sixth Form College student Oli will help to provide a voice for youth within the CEC.
Oli’s business studies teacher suggested that it might be worthwhile to apply for the LLEP YAB group. Oli said he had subsequently developed confidence with public speaking, as well as teamwork and communication skills.
He added: “Working with the group has increased my awareness of career and education paths available to young people and how they can access help to achieve their career goals.
“It’s a positive and friendly group that really seeks to make a difference to young people’s lives and the future of their environment.”
Verity Hancock, principal of Leicester College and Further Education Representative on the LLEP Board, said: “Deciding what to do after leaving school can be a challenge. Getting the right information is important.
“By involving young people in developing strategy we are including and reflecting on what matters to the very people who are accessing the careers education.”
Gerarde Manley, Careers Hub lead, said: “The YAB are an impressive group of driven young people from across the LLEP area.
“By investing in their training, we can help to upskill them to make best use of our network and media channels.”
Plans are also underway to involve the YAB in youth-related events at other business and careers events over the course of the coming year.
The YAB is in the process of developing a mission statement to further expand its offer.
