What is 'Positive about Young People?'
PAYP is an initiative which is being developed by a group of employers in Lincolnshire and Rutland to recognise their commitment to young people in the workplace. It consists of a series of agreed standards indicating what is expected of an employer if they wish to be recognised as having a positive attitude towards young people at work. Broadly speaking, it addresses the areas of Employment, Experience of Work and Awareness of Opportunities. The standards have been developed by a forum of participating organisations consisting of representatives from Connexions Lincolnshire & Rutland, County and District Councils and a number of Health Service bodies. Work is continuing to widen the membership of the group to include, for example, the Learning and Skills Council and JobCentre Plus, with an eventual roll-out to a much wider cross section of employers.
What is involved in PAYP?
Each participating organisation is asked to produce an Action Plan based on the Standards, indicating what actions they intend to take to meet the individual criteria. This Action Plan is then submitted to the PAYP Forum for 'moderation' to quality assure the process and maintain consistency. Once the plan is accepted as meeting the requirements, the organisation is awarded a Certificate of Commitment, signifying that they have committed themselves to implementing the Standard. The Action Plan will indicate timescales for the attainment of key tasks, and once these are reached successfully, a Certificate of Achievement will be awarded.
What are the benefits of PAYP?
As an objectively moderated Standard, PAYP certification will clearly indicate an employer's commitment to young people in the workplace. This should help to raise their profile and improve recruitment and retention of young people, as well as providing better opportunities for young people wishing to enter the workforce. It will identify an employer as being 'young person friendly'. By providing better career paths and support for young employees, it should also help to encourage staff loyalty and commitment.
Young people under 25 years old are known to be under-represented in the workforce, so a clear commitment and positive action to redress this imbalance also has positive social and economic benefits which tie in well with the outcomes of the Every Child Matters agenda, particularly 'Make a Positive Contribution', and 'Economic Well-being'. Visible commitment to the PAYP Standard is therefore further evidence of an organisation's support for Every Child Matters.
If you are an employer and would like more information about PAYP, please follow the link to the Connexions website.
