According to the Bishop of Leicester, churches are in a good position to assist young people who are not employed, enrolled in school, or undergoing training.

At St. Mark’s Church in Kennington, South London, Bishop Martyn, the Church of England’s lead bishop for welfare, held a roundtable discussion with representatives from church-based employment support programs and Dame Diana Johnson, the minister of employment.

”The Christian charity Spear runs a coaching program at St. Mark’s for 16 to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school, working, or receiving training. For young adults who already face additional obstacles to finding employment, such as growing up in poverty or having been in care.

‘The program offers specialized coaching and support, such as assistance with CV writing and mock interviews, and aims to improve confidence and communication skills. The program provides one-on-one sessions and coaching for four to six weeks, along with six months to a year of follow-up support.

Established in 2003, it currently collaborates with 17 churches in England and Wales and provided assistance to 1,200 youth last year. After a year, over 70% of the young adults who had participated in the program were either employed or enrolled in school.

Bishop Martyn (pictured above) described the Spear program as an “absolute flagship” due to its outstanding results and extensive coaching support. He stated: “I would encourage every church to consider how it could be involved in the wider support for young people to enable them to use their gifts and skills, including through meaningful work, even though activity and provision will look different depending on the context.”.

This support could take the form of organizing job clubs or doing what we already do well, which is supporting young people in our communities and appreciating them for the individuals God has made them to be. Rocky Uddin, a Spear Ambassador who participated in the program and is currently an assistant mother, spoke to Bishop Martyn and Dame Diana.

“We were thrilled that Dame Diana and Bishop Martyn were able to see the Spear Programme in action and meet some of our trainees and coaches,” stated Iona Ledwidge, Chief Executive of Spear (pictured, center, above).

We were also excited to talk about the role that third-sector organizations like Spear can play in helping young people find employment. “The minister was interested in hearing about Rocky’s experience with Jobcentre appointments prior to his Spear training in 2023.

We anticipate the development of plans for Jobcenters’ transformation to offer more specialized and efficient assistance to youth.