ABSTRACT
Authored by two experienced practitioner psychologists with deep insight into the issues facing young people as they prepare for and begin their journey to work, this chapter outlines how young job-seekers interact with the government’s job broking system provided directly by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and its contracted providers. It will describe the type of support on offer from DWP including an overview of the in-house work psychology service deployed through its network of work psychologists that help individuals with job search and the particular challenges they face in entering or returning to the labour market. The chapter discusses the advantages of providing structure to the job search, developing effective job-search skills and managing the application processes. A key section describes assessment of individual employment strengths and highlights the importance of work experience in shaping employment goals and developing broader skills and the support to facilitate successful job entry and employment retention. Before turning to policy issues that form the basis of the nature of youth employment support measures, the chapter provides an overview of the specific support available to disabled job-seekers, individuals with health conditions and employers. Finally, the chapter considers how employment outcomes for young people might be enhanced, looking towards future policy and how to advance the prospects for young people looking for work whilst encouraging entrepreneurship and career management over the life course.
