Celebrating Young Carers Day 2024, Carers Trust share more about their programmes and we speak with a Carer, who has found an opportunity via the GFiE & Carers Trust Life Chance Scheme partnership
Carers Trust works to transform the lives of unpaid carers across the UK. They partner with a network of local carer organisations to provide funding and support, deliver innovative and evidence-based programmes and raise awareness and influence policy. The vision is that unpaid carers are heard and valued, with access to support, advice and resources to enable them to live fulfilled lives.
GFiE are delighted to work with Carers Trust to offer carers opportunities to apply for jobs through the GFiE scheme. Since our partnership began we have already seen several young adult carers secure jobs in the civil service in a number of different departments
Carers Trust’s Young Carers Futures programme
Young Carers Futures is a Carers Trust programme that brings together young adult carers aged 16 to 25 years with some of the UK’s leading brands and employers. It is the only UK-wide programme making these connections for young adult carers which in turn breaks down barriers for young adult carers and helps level the playing field as they look to move into the world of employment.
One of the key focus areas of the programme is to help employers better understand the impact caring for a family member can have on young adult carers’ education, employability and life chances. The programme demonstrates to employers that the incredible skills and attributes young adult carers develop directly as a result of their caring role, can also be directly transferred into the workplace. These include excellent time-management skills, a sense of responsibility for other people and the importance of being able to prioritise and juggle lots of tasks – and budgets – simultaneously.
The programme supports and connects capable young adult carers to employers through internships, business insight days and soft skills workshop opportunities, as well as introducing young people to long term employment opportunities. Learn more at Carers Trust Employability Programme - YouTube
Young Action Carers Day 2024 takes place on Wednesday 13th March 2024 and the theme this year is ‘Fair Futures for Young Carers’.
Sylvia's Story
How did you first learn about the Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) scheme, and what motivated you to apply for it?
I first heard about the GFiE through the Carers Trust. They encouraged me to attend a job fair for young people back in 2022, and I kept in contact with them for future job roles.
What does a regular working day look like for you?
My working style differs each day as I work hybrid. This works particularly well for me, as I'm a carer for both my parents. This job enables me to work both at home and at the office while keeping my hours flexible if need be.
Each day is different; sometimes I work on the inbox, which means replying back to enquiries the entire day. This task in particular keeps me very busy, as every email is different, and sometimes this means I have to dig around for more information or seek additional help from my colleagues. It keeps me on my toes.
Other days, I'm dealing with third-party referrals from service providers. This job is different from the inbox, as I have to build the case myself and upload it onto our database. It's quite simple once you get the hang of it, but it has many steps.
Each day is different, and every task is both interesting and important. Even though I am fully trained, I'm still learning new things every day, and I love this.
My team is scattered all throughout the UK. Some of my colleagues are from Scotland, while others are from Wales, etc. We all work together, and the majority of our meetings are all online due to this. I don't have many colleagues at the office, so it can get lonely working alone.
Describe your experience with the GFiE scheme. What specific opportunities has it offered you?
The GFiE scheme has offered me a chance. For me, this "chance" is what I really needed. Being a carer is a full-time job most days and can be extremely tiring. Looking for jobs on my own was proving to be a very difficult task while juggling my day to day caring responsibilities at home.
GFIE offered me the chance to work with a great department, and this has also helped boost my confidence overall. I was able to travel outside of my home town and meet great people, all because of the chance I was given. It's helped me realise that I am very capable; I just didn't know that.
What parts of your role do you enjoy the most? Can you share any notable achievements or skills you've gained through your time in the Civil Service so far?
At work, I volunteered to be part of the engagement team. After our team meeting every Wednesday, me and my colleagues come up with interactive games and present them at the end of our meetings.
So far, I have presented once and come up with my own game. This was a huge success because it was my first time presenting (even though it was all informal and had nothing to do with work), but it helped boost my confidence and made me realise I'm great with PowerPoint and quite creative.
What are your aspirations for the future?
As for now, I would like to learn more about the Department I work for, our team is very large, and there is still so much for me to learn. I love my job and would like to stay in my current role for the time being.
What advice would you give to anyone aspiring to apply for our GFiE vacancies?
Go for it! You have nothing to lose.
Please visit our other GFiE Carers Blogs A complete guide to GFIE Carers and Visible, valued and supported: Carers bringing their skills and experience to the Civil Service if you would like to know more about the GFiE Carers Scheme, and how you can get involved.
Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) Schemes
If you want to know more about our other GFiE Life Chance Schemes, or are a Government department and would like to discuss providing life changing opportunities to individuals through use of the schemes for vacancies you have coming up, please get in contact with the GfiE Team at GFiE@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
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