Panorama and Sol Campbell highlight the plight of young black men

Last night’s Panorama programme, ‘Jobs for the Boys’ (13 May 2013) - click on the title to view the programme - highlighted the crisis facing the country and another generation of young black men. BTEG congratulates Sol Campbell (ex-Arsenal and England footballer) for exposing the barriers young black men face in finding jobs.

In 2006 the black youth unemployment rate was 37 per cent; 2.5 times higher than the white youth unemployment rate. In 2012 the unemployment rate for black young people was 49 per cent; 2.2 times higher than for white young people.  Although unemployment has risen for all young people, the relatively far higher rates for young black people have been there for a long time. As Sol Campbell showed, many unemployed young black men are trying their hardest to find work and their frustration at their continued exclusion from the labour market was clear to see.

In 2012, 53 per cent of 16-24 year old young black people were in full time education compared to 39 per cent of young white people. But delaying entry to the labour market is not translating into improved job opportunities for young black men.

Jeremy Crook OBE, Director of Black Training and Enterprise Group,  who also appeared on the programme, says ‘The Panorama programme must be the catalyst for  employers, government and black organisations (that work with young unemployed people) to set up a national task force to drive targeted action to transform the life chances of young black men by creating job opportunities. We would like to see Sol Campbell lead such a task force ’

‘The time has come for schools, FE and HE institutions to put in place clear pathways from their institutions to employers. Young black men need to find out from colleges and universities before they enrol on a course how many people that look like them found employment as a result of completing the course. Employers also need to ask themselves whether they are doing enough to attract talented young black men’

‘Only the London Mayor has recognised targeted action is needed to tackle this problem and he has allocated £1m to support a mentoring programme for school age black boys. But programmes like this will struggle unless there is evidence that young black men will be rewarded with employment after success in education’

BTEG is currently recruiting successful black men to serve as volunteer role models to inspire young black males to achieve their education and employment goals. We also want black boys and young black men to join the programme, Routes2Success, and develop their own local projects to improve their prospects.

‘R2S ROLE MODEL RECRUITMENT RECEPTION’

You can make a difference to the future of young black males

 Tuesday 21^st May 2013, 6.30-8pm.

BTEG office, 200 Pentonville Road, London N1 9JP

The Routes2Success (R2S) community role model programme is a national three-year programme managed by the Black Training and Enterprise Group, a leading national charity, which works to improve education, employment and entrepreneurship success rates for black and minority ethnic communities.

Young males of African, Caribbean and mixed origin want to be encouraged and inspired by successful men from similar backgrounds. The unemployment rate for young black men is 44% so we have to do what we can to convince our young men that they must take responsibility for their own futures.

We are looking to recruit 30 volunteer role models and want to attract black men from a diversity of occupations and especially entrepreneurs. Role models cannot solve all of the problems many young males encounter today but they can help young males to have more confidence in their abilities and to believe that anything is possible with hard work and dedication.

If you are a successful black male and believe you can inspire our young males then please step forward and join us in this important challenge.

If you are interested and would like to get involved or simply hear more about the opportunity to be a role model for R2S come and join us where you will get an opportunity to meet some of the role models who are already part of this exciting new programme. Light buffet will be provided.

To book a place please click here

 ‘BTEG carried out a national survey of young males in March and 90% said that wanted to hear from successful black males role models.’

R2S is funded by the 'Big Lottery' and 'The Monument Trust'

Young People & Social Mobility:

can we do more in the Voluntary Sector?

A national conference

Thursday 23 May 2013, Amnesty International Centre, London.

The Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) voluntary sector has a long track record of supporting young people in areas such as personal development, education, leisure, information, advice and guidance.

However, despite the support offered, many young BAME people are still not making sufficient progress on the social mobility ladder that we all want to see. Why is this?

This free event will:

• examine the context in which organisations are operating

• examine whether the services on offer help young people to succeed in a competitive education and labour market

• explore practical ways in which the BAME sector can involve young people in shaping services in the future.

The event will be a combination of inspirational speakers, interactive and practical workshops and a ‘Question Time’ session with prominent panel members giving you an opportunity to ask questions directly.

Speakers

Henry Bonsu, Simon Woolley, Young Mayor Tanvir Raza, British Youth Council Trustee Zain Awan and Jeremy Crook OBE

Speaker and workshop topics include:

• The young person’s perspective: what do BAME young people need and what is preventing greater social mobility?

• The organisation perspective: the challenges facing the BAME sector

• How to ensure the supply of services is matching the demand from young people

• How to capture impact and change of our services

• How to get more young people involved in the planning and management of projects

• Building on our success and our collective social capital

  For more information click here  http://bit.ly/WWlaAZ

The search is on for Black role models in England

VOLUNTEER role models will be recruited across the country to inspire young black men and boys to success. High-achieving businessmen and entrepreneurs are among the figures who will send out the message that anything is possible despite barriers such as discrimination and poverty. 

A national survey carried out last year found that 90% of young British men from African, Caribbean and mixed backgrounds want successful professionals from similar backgrounds to share their stories of how they made it to the top. The three-year role model programme is now being launched by the Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG), a leading charity which carried out the research.  Routes2Success, funded by the Big Lottery and The Monument Trust, was given the title by the 11 to 25 year olds the scheme aims to support.

The challenge

Young black males in Britain face many challenges and can struggle to succeed. Racism and poverty can hold back young people from reaching their potential. Just a few of the statistics on this show that:

• 42% of black Caribbean boys and 52% of African boys achieved 5 GCSEs A*-C including Maths and English in 2010/11 compared to 55% for the total male cohort;

• Only 3% of apprentices in England in 2010/11 were black;

• 44% of young black people who were available for work in the 12 months to September 2012 were unemployed, compared with 24% of all young people;

• 16% of young people detained in Young Offender Institutions in England and Wales in 2011/12 were black.

Role models cannot solve all of the problems many young males experience. But they can help young people to have confidence in their abilities and to believe that anything is possible with hard work and dedication. By connecting successful black men with young males Routes2Success  aims to inspire young people to realise their full potential and equip them to deal with the barriers that they may face. Evidence from our previous role model programme showed that 83% of young people who listened to role models were inspired; they went away and thought more carefully about the need to plan their future and work hard at school and college.

What makes a good role model?

The search is now on to recruit successful black men who can become role models to engage and inspire the next generation.  When asked what makes a good role model young people said:

• Someone who inspires and encourages young people;

• A successful individual from a similar background; and

• Someone who sets a good example to others.
  
  

Routes2Success role model Bola Abisogun is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor born and raised in East London. Bola excelled at school and made history as the first black African to achieve a double First Class Honours in Quantity Surveying and Construction Management at the University of Wolverhampton. Following this achievement, Bola set up two businesses. Having experienced first-hand the ‘oppressive and often discriminatory’ nature of the construction industry, Bola understands the struggle that some young black males face, having to work twice as hard to succeed. Bola knows that not all young males have fathers in their lives but insists that ‘Boys need fathers or at the very least father figures’. For this reason he feels it is only right as a father of three sons to offer his spare time to support a cause in which he believes. ‘The next generation of black men is likely to be left behind in the ‘race for opportunity’…unless the Routes2Success project can make the much needed and wholly overdue conversion rate of ‘positive change’’.

 Routes2Success role model Patrice Hinds is Managing Director at   Inspirational Ideas, a marketing business which specialises in  promotional ideas and merchandise. Running a successful business inspired him to share his story with young people to encourage them to want to achieve and see that anything is attainable through hard work. Patrice currently visits schools in his local community discussing business with students. Although he finds engaging with some of the young people challenging at times, he finds it rewarding and an honour. Through a ‘non-judgemental and patient’ approach Patrice wishes to share his story and business knowledge with young people to help them on their journeys to success.

Reach Society 

Building Connections

      Patron: Lord Herman Ouseley & Professor Trevor Williams

Thursday, 4^th April 2013, 10.00 am to 4.00 pm  

The Charing Cross Hotel, The Strand, London

A day in which professional men from the Black community interact with young people, aged 14 plus, to inspire them. Parents & carers are also invited to come along with their children to this FREE event.

For more details click http://bit.ly/WU0RBU or see the attached flyer 

Reach Event
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Does your organisation work with London’s black and minority ethnic communities?

Are Policing and Criminal Justice issues impacting on your organisation and service users?

Do you want to influence Policing and community safety policy in the capital?

The Mayor’s draft Policing and Crime Plan for London:

the race equality implications

A MOPAC & BTEG consultation event

11.00-3.00     27 February,

Voluntary Action Islington

200a Pentonville Road

London N1 9JP

The Mayor of London is consulting on his draft Police and Crime Plan for London which will set the priorities for the Met and borough-led Community Safety initiatives for the capital for the coming years.

BTEG, in partnership with MOPAC (Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime), is hosting a consultation event for London’s voluntary and community sector specifically in relation to the race equality implications of the plan.

You can download the Mayor’s draft plan here

This is a free event.

Access to the Labour Market

This paper examines some statistical comparisons of African and Caribbean experiences in relation to employment, unemployment and access to university.

As well as concerns about education attainment and employment market trends, it also looks at statistics relating to the continued concern about the number of BME people in the criminal justice system.

Access to the labour market
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Richard Review of Apprenticeships

Following the Wolf Review (2010), the Government set in motion a review process to answer the question: What should an apprenticeship be in the future, and how can apprenticeships meet the needs of the changing economy?  As the review author, Doug Richards, explains, “…in truth, given the question, it is not a review at all. It does not look back, it looks forward….rather we are attempting to redefine the shape of the system itself…it is a Strategy.”  As such, those who are involved in the training and delivery of apprenticeship frameworks, as well as employers, are advised to consider the recommendations.

Doug Richard has set out a comprehensive vision for the future of apprenticeships. His independent report, The Richard Review of Apprenticeships calls on the Government to improve the quality of the programme and make them more focused on the needs of employers (click for summary)