Suffolk County Council signs the Good Youth Employment Charter

Developed by the charity Youth Employment UK, the charter features five core principles:

• Creating Opportunity
• Recognising Talent
• Fair Employment
• Developing People
• Youth Voice.

By signing the charter, the council has become a Youth Friendly Employer, and indicated its commitment to recruiting and developing young people based on their ability, talent and potential, regardless of their background or experience.

It will incorporate existing work being completed in the council including its Young Adults Network and the Rising High in Suffolk programme, which aims to help young people start a career in the public sector through apprenticeships, internships and graduate placements.

Chris Bally, Deputy Chief Executive of Suffolk County Council, said:

“At Suffolk County Council, we want to provide good quality opportunities for young people to gain skills and experiences, which is why we are committed to upholding the five principles of this charter.

“Young people have a vital role to play in the future of our organisation and the wider local government community, but they are currently underrepresented in our workforce compared to Suffolk’s population.

“Careers in local government are diverse and offer a great opportunity to make a difference in your community. We’ll be looking at how we attract and support young staff to develop successful and rewarding careers with the council.”

The signing is the result of the work of the council’s yearly cohort of interns. Together they developed a recruitment guide for how managers can shortlist CVs with less experience, proposed a peer-to-peer mentorship scheme, carried out a young staff survey and produced day-in-the-life videos to show what it’s like to be a young person working at Suffolk County Council.