Millwall Community Trust welcomed colleagues from the Department for Work and Pensions’ national Youth Policy and Jobs Guarantee Programme teams to its Lewisham and Southwark Youth Employability Hub on Thursday 15 October.
The visit formed part of the national team’s away day, bringing policy colleagues together with young people, employers and local delivery partners to explore the realities of youth unemployment and the support needed to help young people progress.
The day was supported by senior DWP colleagues, including Adeola Adekola, Senior Partnership Manager for South London, and Ayaan Rabileh, District Operations Manager. Their contributions helped connect national policy discussions with the local partnership delivering support through the Hub.
John Scarborough, MCT’s Education & Employability Manager, opened with a presentation outlining the Hub’s current offer and delivery model. He explained how the Millwall Youth Employability Hubs approach of personalised mentoring, careers guidance, industry pathways, employer engagement and wider wellbeing support work together to address individual barriers to employment.
Young people’s voices were central to the visit. A panel of Hub participants aged 18–24 shared their experiences of being outside education, employment or training, the challenges they had faced and why the support received through the Hub had been vital. Their contributions gave national policy colleagues an opportunity to hear directly from those whose experiences can help inform future provision.
An employer and partner panel featuring key Hub partners Homewood Group, Trail Group, The Skill Centre in Surrey Quays and The Groundswell Project discussed the youth employment landscape, recruitment challenges and the importance of preparing and supporting young candidates. The discussion highlighted how the Hub connects employers with potential recruits and coordinates support between organisations, training providers and DWP.
The visit also provided context for Q&A discussion with DWP’s Jobs Guarantee Programme colleagues about the Job Grant and Youth Guarantee 6 month paid offer and benefits it could bring to young people and feedback and questions from young people and partners around its intended roll out in London.
Alongside the visit, Construction Youth Trust and The Skill Centre in Surrey Quays delivered presentations to young people in the Hub, introducing training and employment opportunities.
The day also marked the launch of the Hub’s Community Coaching Pathway, part of its Football & Sports industry offer. Designed for 16–24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training, the pathway combines supported FA learning, safeguarding and first-aid training with practical coaching, mentoring and supervised shadowing.
Young people attended a launch presentation, watched a coaching masterclass and delivered their own coaching activities before finishing with a wellbeing game between mentees. The pathway offers staged reviews and support towards suitable coaching opportunities, subject to readiness, vacancies, eligibility and safer recruitment requirements.
John Scarborough, Education & Employability Manager at Millwall Community Trust, said: “Welcoming national DWP Youth Policy and Jobs Guarantee colleagues was an important opportunity to connect policy with the experiences of young people and the realities of delivering support locally.
“The most valuable contributions came from our young people, who spoke openly about their experiences of being NEET and why the Hub’s support had mattered to them. Hearing those experiences alongside employers’ perspectives helps build a fuller understanding of what young people need to access opportunities and sustain their progress.
“Our role is to bring that support together, working with DWP, employers and specialist partners around each young person. The launch of our Community Coaching Pathway demonstrated this in practice, giving participants the chance to explore a career route, learn from experienced coaches and begin developing their own skills.
“Thank you to our young people, partners and DWP colleagues for contributing to the day and helping ensure local experiences are part of the wider conversation about youth employment.”
