This Practice Guide outlines the National Youth Employment Body model that will inform the development of a scalable national approach that both strengthens youth employment and meets local workforce needs. It has been developed by the Brotherhood of St Laurence, an independent non-government organisation with strong community links that has been working to reduce poverty in Australia since the 1930s.
Poverty is more than a lack of material resources. It often means being denied what most people take for granted: a secure job, a home, a sense of valued inclusion and connection to the wider community. Unprecedented social and economic change is accelerating economic insecurity and inequality for those facing disadvantage, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the risk of more people falling into poverty and experiencing long-term scarring from unemployment. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) warns that the short and medium-term impacts of COVID-19 will be particularly severe for the most disadvantaged and risk compounding existing socio-economic divides, especially for young people.
The right to inclusive work and to economic security are key areas of BSL's innovative approach to addressing disadvantage in the labour market, which it does through:
Extensive employment-related research conducted with jobseekers, employers and service providers.
Expertise in the development, delivery and real-time evaluation of active labour market programs particularly for those facing disadvantage.
Practice expertise that includes developing and implementing a Youth Transitions model, to engage and sustain young people experiencing disadvantage in education, training and employment.
Advocating and building knowledge of collaborative policy making, governance and co-design work in communities to address complex issues.
The NYEB is building on BSL's knowledge and practice in this area to foster collaboration that empowers participants, communities and policy makers to review and respond to youth unemployment in new ways. Now, more than ever, support is needed for stakeholders from multiple local and national sectors that influence youth employment to work together on flexible strategies for structural change based on a commitment to place-based action, and ongoing learning of what works.
This Practice Guide is intended as a tool for developing and implementing place-focused solutions that enhance young people’s meaningful and sustainable participation in the labour market. It is designed for local, state and national stakeholders across the employment system, including employment service providers, educators, employers, community organisations and policy makers. It is comprised of five sections as outlined here.
Section 1: Why we need a National Youth Employment Body: To inform a coordinated and scalable national approach to youth employment, the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment funded the Brotherhood in 2018 to establish and coordinate the NYEB. The aim of the NYEB is to facilitate collaborative efforts that enable young people to secure decent work while addressing the needs of industry for a diverse and adaptable workforce.
Section 2: Harnessing community investment: The NYEB’s collaborative components enable critical stakeholders from multiple sectors to work together and develop flexible strategies to address youth unemployment, including employers and industry, youth employment service providers, skills and training, government, research, young people and key community organisations.
Section 3: The practice – How we are working in place: The NYEB is working to foster collaboration that empowers participants, communities and policy makers to review and respond to youth unemployment in new and innovative ways. In practice, the NYEB model enables a place-based focus with national reach. Local communities are supported to harness their expertise to co-develop strategies to improve youth employment pathways and inform a national conversation on how to build the capabilities of young people and meet the needs of employers in place.
Section 4: Tools and resources: The development of NYEB-tailored information and tools support place-based approaches and link local to national.
These tools and resources are designed to help build the capacity of NYEB Lead Partner organisations and other CIC members to drive the work of the NYEB locally, as well as to inform national stakeholders on approaches for strengthening youth employment.
National Youth Employment Body – Theoretical underpinnings: The work of the NYEB draws on national and international evidence, and the concepts and approaches that support good practice across the youth employment system.
Includes bibliographical references
First published in March 2020
Second edition published June 2020
