July 15th 2023 marks World Youth Skills Day. This year we celebrate not only our young people, but also our skilled Trainers, Mentors, and Leaders
Each year on July 15th, World Youth Skills Day is observed as a day of significance, celebrating the importance of helping young people develop the necessary skills to succeed in today’s rapidly changing world.
Since Good Cycles was established in 2014, our mission has been to not only reduce the barriers to employment, but to equip young people with the tools and experience that will serve as building blocks for a brighter future.
What started as providing mentorship and practical technical skills in bicycle maintenance, today Good Cycles is able to offer participants pathways to learn skills across a whole range of different industries and sectors. It’s through this diversity of roles we offer we are able to provide more opportunities for young people to gain the skills and training they need to cultivate their own career paths.
Today, learning how to fix a bike is a small component of the kind of skills a young person may learn with Good Cycles. Through our City Services division, our Car Share cleaning & relocation operations, and the work we do through our Open Spaces division, the breadth of practical skills we are able to offer our Youth Employment Participants has never been greater. In addition, participants build confidence, work as part of a team, and get to feel a sense of pride in the work they do, and what they can accomplish.
In conversation with City Services team members, our City Services Manager, Mark Liddle, spoke to some of the significant skills the team had reflected upon in their roles; from the importance of time management, and utilising critical thinking and problem-solving skills, to planning for different contingencies a day may require. Team members also spoke to the importance good communication plays in their roles, be it talking to managers, customers, or other staff.
As of May 31 2023, 24% of Good Cycle’s total employees are young people in the YEP program, receiving various levels of support such as coaching, training and on the job learning. Critically, through the observations of our coaches and supervisors, over 80% experienced an increase in capabilities, paralleling the positive guidance and support our managers and trainers can provide.
The theme for World Youth Skills Day 2023 is Skilling teachers, trainers and youth for a transformative future. This year we celebrate the teachers, trainers and mentors that guide our young participants as they receive training and learn new skills, providing them with more confidence and preparedness for the evolving labour market.
