Dorset charity supports young carers with employability skills
41 young adults have been championed by MYTIME this year
Dorset-based charity, MYTIME Young Carers, has seen 41 young adult carers graduate from its Employability Programme this year.
MYTIME provides support for young carers across the county and works to level the playing field for these remarkable young people.
Young carers develop a unique skillset at an early age, and represent an incredibly responsible, resilient and compassionate community, yet 49% of young carers aged between 18 and 25 are currently unemployed.
Caring responsibilities can make it difficult for young carers to gain qualifications, transition into further education and secure employment.
MYTIME Young Carers launched its Employability Programme to help young carers overcome these obstacles, and to support them to reach their full potential.
The eight-week programme includes CV-writing sessions, interview skills workshops, 1:1 mentoring, personality analysis sessions run in collaboration with the Colour Works and presentations from motivational speakers, successful entrepreneurs and former young carers.
The programme supports young carers to explore career opportunities that could fit around their caring roles, to recognise the enormous value that the skills they have developed as carers may have in the workplace, and to build plans for the future.
Aral, an Employability Programme Graduate said:
“If I hadn’t done the Employability Programme, and had the amazing ongoing support from MYTIME, I would not be where I am today.”
MYTIME’s Director of Fundraising and Communications, Penelope Day, said:
“It’s such a joy to get together each year to celebrate our Employability Graduates.
"These are extraordinary young people, and they apply themselves with such dedication to the eight-week course, despite having significant responsibilities to manage at home.
"They have so much to offer, and it’s a privilege to be a part of their journey into the working world. We believe that the sky is the limit for these young people, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for them.”
Determined to dismantle the barriers faced by young carers, MYTIME’s Employability Programme Manager, Emma Fry, designed and launched the programme in 2020.
Since then, Emma has taken the programme from strength to strength and was recently recognised for her exceptional work by the Career Development Institute, who crowned Emma the UK’s Career Coach of the Year this June.
Emma comments: "I am absolutely delighted to have won this award. Not only does it mean a huge amount to me personally to have my work recognised, but it also demonstrates the success of the Employability Programme and the positive difference it is making.
"I am proud to have created the programme and excited to continue to grow it."
Over 100 local Dorset businesses and organisations are already supporting the programme by mentoring programme participants, by providing work experience placements and by exhibiting at MYTIME’s young carer-targeted career conventions.
MYTIME is always seeking the support of new businesses from new industries, and would love to hear from organisations who are interested in supporting the programme.
MYTIME Young Carers is also currently recruiting the next cohort of Employability Programme participants, so would encourage any young adult carer aged 15-25 to get in touch today.
For more information, visit: https://www.mytimeyoungcarers.org or contact MYTIME at enquiries@mytimeyoungcarers.org.