We're inviting 16-24-year-olds living in Merseyside and Greater Manchester to become Career Connect Youth Ambassadors.
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Career Connect provides careers information, advice and guidance for school pupils and those 16+ exploring their options, and we are looking for up to 15 Youth Ambassadors.
The Ambassadors will be a champion for young people, give their honest views on careers services provided by Career Connect, and contribute to research into issues affecting young people’s lives.
To be a Youth Ambassador, applicants need to be aged 16-24, live in Merseyside or Greater Manchester, and be passionate about Youth Voice and representing other young people. They also need to be happy to voice their opinions and ideas.
The Youth Ambassadors will meet monthly with other Ambassadors and teams within the charity. Meetings will take place in person in both Manchester and Liverpool or online. Career Connect can fund any expenses to attend events or meetings.
Youth Ambassadors will have the opportunity to:
- Make suggestions on how to improve Career Connect’s services for young people, with their views being heard by Senior Leaders and policymakers.
- Run and participate in focus groups
- Assist in the creation of social media content such as introduction videos and promotional content
- Build teamwork skills
- Build their own employability skills and attend enrichment activities
- Assist in the recruitment, interviewing and induction of staff, explaining to them the importance of the charity’s Youth Voice work
- Conduct ‘mystery shopper’ activities
- Help promote Career Connect and our services
- Inform our charity about barriers that young people currently face
- Become part of a friendly community of Ambassadors who work together
- Offer support for other young people
Our Youth Ambassadors are part of Career Connect’s wider participation network. They may also be invited to represent Youth Voice and give feedback at meetings or events alongside adults representing other service users.
What are the rewards?
Ambassadors will receive:
- Training, skills sessions and upskilling workshops tailored to suit their needs
- Experience to enhance CVs and applications, and a reference from Career Connect
- Funded enrichment activities – previous trips have included an Escape Room
- Careers appointments with skilled advisors
- Access to ConnectMyCareer – an online careers portal including AI interview simulator and CV software
- An opportunity to connect with other young people in the North West to create friendships
- Networking opportunities
- An online forum for Youth Ambassadors and the Youth Voice Coordinator to get careers advice and share helpful tips
- Merchandise
- Certificate of participation
- Additional freebies for larger tasks
- Representation on social media
The current group of Career Connect Youth Ambassadors have helped make positive change through activities including:
- Submitting their views to the Youth Select Committee open inquiry into the rising cost of living’s impact on young people.
- Responding to the 2023 Youth Census and had articles with their views published on the Career Connect website.
- Working with Career Connect’s Marketing and Communications team to help develop branding, messaging and tone of voice for materials aimed at young people aged 16-24.
What our Youth Ambassadors say:
“I definitely think my confidence has gone up since my first meeting.” – Favour
“It’s been nice to meet new people, that are on the same wavelength and think how you think.” – India
“It’s been so insightful to see behind the scenes and to learn about statistics about other young people like me. My confidence has increased too.” – Sophia
“Just having someone listen to you and ask your opinions makes me feel very validated.” – Josh
Chloe Elliott from Career Connect said: “We have had a great year with our first cohort of Youth Ambassadors, and we are looking forward to meeting more young people interested in joining us.
“Being a Youth Ambassador has two elements – you get the chance make a difference to other young people’s lives and have a real say in shaping our careers support services.
“But you also get the opportunity to enjoy new experiences, be part of a group of welcoming young people and access careers advice from our experts at Career Connect. Our current team of ambassadors have really developed and built their skills and that has been fantastic to see.”
How to apply:
Download the application pack here.
Download the application form here.
Complete the online application or print off your own hard copy to complete by hand and send back to [email protected]
You can send completed hard copy applications to: Alicia Murray, Career Connect, 7th Floor Walker House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool, L2 3YL.
If you need help or support with the application, please contact your Career Connect adviser (if you are currently using our services) or contact Alicia on [email protected]
Deadline extended! Send in your application by 23:59 on Monday 8 January 2023.
