Generation Y Can't I get a Job?

Today more than ever, young Australians are struggling to break into the job market. Prue O'Donoghue finds out why.

As we reach the end of 2011, the days of labelling young, unemployed people
"dole bludgers" should be long gone.

With Australia still very much in the shadow of the recent global financial crisis and feeling the effects of the current global economic uncertainty, job opportunities aren't quite growing on trees for young people across the country.

As a consequence, youth unemployment in Australia continues to rise.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics' 2010 Job Search Experience report showed that in July 2010, 223,500 or 39% of all unemployed people were aged between 15 and 24 years old, and the average duration of unemployment was 14 weeks. Even more worryingly, more recent labour force statistics reveal that there are approximately 5000 fewer 15 to 19 year olds in work than there were a year ago.

This issue is not limited to Australia but is worldwide, with the United Nations estimating that one in three unemployed people today are aged between 15 and 24 years old.

In her address at the November G20 Summit in Cannes, Prime Minister Julia Gillard drew attention to the problem, noting that many young Australians could find themselves in long-term unemployment if they did not catch an early break into work or training.

"We have been very driven by research that if young people leave school early, if they spend the years immediately post school unemployed, that is far more likely to lead to a lifetime of disadvantage," she said.

With tens of thousands of Australian school leavers currently starting to decide their future paths, such comments are particularly pertinent. Without a successful school to work transition and faced with ongoing joblessness, many young people become discouraged and can fall out of the labour force entirely, with low self esteem and little confidence in their future.

Youth Projects puts young people into work
Although many of the barriers young people face such as transport, education and affordable housing are preventable they demand a sustained, and tailored approach to achieve success.

Youth Projects' work through the Job Services Australia (JSA) program offers specialised and targeted support for unemployed youth and youth at-risk, based
on 26 years experience in the field. Encouragingly, the Job Search Experience report showed that 66% of long-term unemployed people and 36% of people who have been unemployed for less than a year registered with a JSA provider.

Youth Projects is the only youth specialist employment program in the North West of Melbourne - an area that, with a youth unemployment rate of around 54 percent, has the highest rate of youth unemployment in Australia

For job seekers in areas like this, disadvantage is heightened by a depressed local job market, entrenched unemployment and limited access to opportunities to build skills and experience.

Wendy C, who leads the Job Services Team at Youth Projects in Glenroy, says that whilst their young clients are keen to be job ready and start on the road to independence, almost half are homeless or on the verge of homelessness, and
many come from backgrounds where not one person in their family or extended family has ever had a job.

"It's hard to learn about what work is like, what different jobs are like or access avenues to learn when there's little experience to draw on within the family,"
she said.

Despite those problems, front line staff at Youth Projects believe the community
is finally seeing some big improvements, with new avenues such as the high school redevelopment and Broadmeadows service hub bringing people together.

With an office in Broadmeadows and counselling in Melton and Werribee, the team have an outstanding record in achieving turnaround results in young people, and therefore have good reason to be optimistic.

The Youth Projects difference: in-depth, grass roots, practical
Youth Projects Employment Services offers youth, and also job seekers of other ages, a tailored service to assist in addressing their barriers in order to lead to a successful and independent life.

Services are focused on providing all clients with a dedicated team approach.
Key elements include linking all clients to an Employment Advisor and maintaining regular appointments, providing support from a Dedicated Job Search Trainer and on-site training programs centred around building confidence, motivation,
job seeking skills and support, as well as personalised and tailored Mentoring Support to assist clients to address their barriers while getting ready to enter the workforce and also when they are placed into employment.

Youth Projects also recognises that new approaches are needed to break through the entrenched problems of youth homelessness and unemployment. For that reason, they have developed the highly innovative "Job Centre" - Oasis.

Oasis is a special place to learn about work, life, decisions and how to gain the support needed to find work and stay employed. Youth Projects teaches young people about the world of work first, so they can then make sense of the job
search experience.

The biggest issue that Youth Projects' young clients face in job readiness is not attitude, but opportunity. Contrary to many of the pervading stereotypes, these young people are striving to do all that is hoped, asked and expected of them by
the government and the community, mostly under very difficult circumstances.

Organisations like Youth Projects do so much more than teach resume writing and web search advice; they help connect young people into work and study with practical advice, support, ideas, and provide a welcoming, understanding approach.