Zest receives an Investors in Young People Accreditation
Did you know, 50% of school leavers don’t go to university, yet few gain relevant vocational qualifications while at school.
Did you know, only 27% of employers offer work experience opportunities.
At Zest, it is our mission to help support people with barriers to employment by providing a friendly and inclusive place to learn, develop and have access to regular training opportunities. This mission includes young people. For several years now, Zest has partnered with the Fife Youth Job Contract to supply a work experience location for youth in Fife. We have experienced many benefits from this opportunity and groups like Investors in Young People are rewarding us for our efforts and providing support to make us better.
“What is the Investors in Young People?”
The Scottish Government partnered with people management specialists Investors in People Scotland to create a new accreditation framework: Investors in Young People. This framework seeks to reward and recognise employers who demonstrate excellence in recruiting and retaining Young People, while encouraging others to begin working with Young People.
In January, a member of the IIYP came to Zest to assess our organisation and interview the employees and managers. The assessment resulted in Zest receiving an Investors in Young People Accreditation! One of the many benefits of the accreditation is receiving professional feedback and recommendations for further development and success of our business.
If you are an employer, we encourage you to consider offering a work experience opportunity for young people. The statistics for unemployed young people can be shocking, and your organisation has an opportunity to help. Working closely with young people has its challenges, but the rewards far outweigh the challenges. We have had positive experiences with all of our young people and it is exciting when they leave Zest with confidence, ambition, and goals. Here is a quote from our accreditation report:
“Success for Zest is not in retaining Young People for their whole careers – in fact just the opposite. ‘Success’ is that the young people you offer employment and placements to, learn, grow and are supported to develop in such a way that they are equipped and encouraged to develop their careers by moving on to other employers.”
We are thankful for the accreditation and look forward to the continuing work alongside of the IIYP.
For further information on Investors in Young People, visit the website.