Equity in Career Services – The Role of Youth Work

Last week, MCR Pathways hosted their first ‘Vital Spark’ conference, celebrating the value of relational practice through their mentoring programme, designed to support care-experienced young people and young people facing disadvantage as they prepare for their futures.   

In her opening remarks, one of the young people said simply: “Talent is everywhere – opportunity is not”.   

All young people deserve access to the support and the opportunities that will enable them to discover their interests, build confidence and develop skills, so that they can succeed on their own terms.  

When it comes to careers support, practitioners and policymakers agree on: 

• The value of skilled relational practice. 
• The importance of place-based approaches that harness local assets and expertise.
• The requirement for more effective partnerships between services across the education and careers system to enable responsiveness to young people’s changing needs over time. 

Week by week, youth workers across Scotland are quietly and brilliantly modelling these principles in their support for young people. This Scottish Careers Week, we want to recognise and celebrate their contribution as the still too often ‘invisible glue’ within the careers ecosystem in Scotland:  

• Youth workers are experts in building trusted relationships with young people, learning about and building from their interests and moving at their pace.
• They collaborate with other career service providers and with employers, offering community-based opportunities and targeted interventions across school, community, and post-school settings. 
• Youth workers also provide practical and emotional support to young people, where needed, enabling them to sustain and progress in new learning experiences and in their employment. This includes additional help at critical transition points, and broader support with independent living, such as with housing and finances.  

“I was homeless at 16. My education suffered and I was struggling to find a job. [Youth workers] supported me to stabilise my life and find housing. Their programmes also helped me gain employability skills and confidence. Now I’m an apprentice vehicle technician.” – Young Person

“The youth work team understand my strengths, and they are good at finding opportunities for me that play to my passions. Because I’m a carer, I can’t work full-time, but my volunteering experience is helping me to grow my skills for work in the future. I feel the youth work team are alongside me at every step, valuing my strengths and wanting and expecting me to continue to grow.”  – Young Person 

“The Positive Transitions Programme offered by the youth work team has brought an effective dimension to planning pathways for young people at our school…Valuable links have been forged with a range of both local and national employers, with our young people taking advantage of their visits and interactions with these businesses.” – Secondary School Head Teacher 

Youth work is already recognised as a delivery partner in Scotland’s Career Review. However, with further investment, the sector’s uniquely flexible, learner-centred approach can be a valuable catalyst for the systemic change that is needed to ensure that all young people receive the support they deserve.