This week, I’m focussing my attention on the next generation.
The Easter school holidays are almost upon us, and no doubt that means a fortnight of rain, although I hope not.
But if you’re looking for wet weather activities, I have just the thing to occupy your small people—for at least eight hours anyway! Let me tell you about two initiatives for those 13+ and 14+.
Virtual Work Experience
Our professional body, the Personal Finance Society, has launched a Virtual Work Experience for anyone aged 13+. And it’s free!
It’s available to all and includes overviews of the roles and responsibilities in financial planning and practical activities related to the fundamentals of financial planning, such as saving and budgeting.
In addition to learning financial planning practices, young people can learn about a potential career path they may have yet to consider. It’s common in our world that most people did not start their careers in financial planning but instead ‘fell into it’.
I’ve yet to meet a financial planner or paraplanner who left school with financial planning as the goal! It is an excellent career, with two days rarely being the same. There’s variety among the people you meet simultaneously as finding structure and logic within the planning process.
A particular highlight for me is the focus on teamwork and employability. There’s some great advice on handling difficult conversations, a vital life skill for all of us, especially young people with less life experience and less of a ‘thick skin’!
Just the Job powered by Junior Achievement Isle of Man (JA IOM)
Junior Achievement IOM has launched a website to support those 14+ who are entering or preparing to enter the world of work.
The best jobs website for 14-25-year-olds in the Isle of Man | Just The Job
Sharon and I were privileged to attend the launch and were impressed by the features and tools they have made available.
As well as a place to advertise and find employment opportunities, the site offers a CV builder tool, interview hints and tips, and an area showcasing the many career paths on the island and the typical route to getting started in them.
There’s also a wide selection of articles; I found the piece on transferable skills particularly good.
As the end of the school year fast approaches, this should be the first stop for young people looking for work experience during the holidays.
Oh, and if you are a business owner or employer, there’s advice on what you need to know when employing those 13+ and still in education.
Both of these initiatives are brilliant, and I hope you can share the information with as many of your family members and friends as possible.
JA IOM had a great quote: ” Talent is distributed equally, opportunities are not.” I, for one, would love to see this corrected.
