In July 2024 Joanies Fund made an award to MYTIME Young Carers to run their Employability Programme that equips carers aged 15-25 with skills and tools necessary to access further education and employment, whilst empowering and encouraging them by raising their aspirations, self-worth and self-confidence.

MYTIME Young Carers is a Dorset-based charity that works tirelessly to level the playing field and reduce the disadvantages that young carers face.

Employability programme sessions included:

• CV (Curriculum Vitae) writing
• Interview skills
• A ‘day in the workplace’
• Colour personality profiling

Sessions on CV writing helped the young carers improve the professionalism and fluency of their CVs. The young carers were able to realise how their caring roles are an advantage instead of disadvantage, because of the wide array of skills they have gained in carrying out these responsibilities.

In interview skills sessions, the programme lead enabled the young carers to see how confidence, coherence and clarity were key skills in answering questions – sharing example questions and giving discussion time around how best to answer.  Local employers set mock questions.  They provided feedback afterwards and were incredibly positive and complimentary about how well the young carers interviewed. Some were even promised jobs when they finish school!

The ‘day in the workplace’ sessions focused on raising awareness among employers of the challenges that young carers face, of the incredible skillsets that they could offer and how best to create supportive workplaces for young adult carers.

The programme lead worked with the young carers on colour personality profiling using ‘The Colour Works Foundation system.  Feedback from one young carer on these sessions:

“Out of the many skills I have been able to identify with through the Colourworks Profiling, Adaptability, Communication and Resilience have all come up over and over again and I can now see just how useful all of these are in any work place too.”

The young carers now have faith in their CVs, are more confident to apply for higher education, training and employment roles and are better equipped to present themselves effectively at interview.  They can also articulate how the skills they have developed as a young carer are useful in the workplace.  

The young cares on the programme have developed new social networks with like-minded peers.  When asked what the best part of participating in the programme was, one participant replied: “No longer feeling alone in how I feel and knowing that I have a strong support system around me for my future.” Whilst every other participant made mention of the friends they had made, the new people they had met or the chance to socialise as a group with other young carers.

All of the participants now talk confidently about their plans for the future. This course has enabled these empathetic, dedicated and resilient young carers to envision a life which balances their caring role with their career hopes and dreams.

Learn more about MYTIME Young Carers at www.mytimeyoungcarers.org/