As part of ‘Career Guidance Reversed’, our youth-led event series for employers, we heard from young people about their experiences of barriers into employment. One of our panelists was Huma Kiyani, an EY Foundation ambassador, who has since shared her thoughts on how the event went and what she learnt from it.  

Career Guidance Reversed, a series of events designed and delivered by young people to empower employers to provide high-quality support for young people thinking about the next steps in their career journey. Our event was held by EY Foundation ambassadors titled “Accessible Pathways into Employment”.

We discussed our next steps into employments and building the perfect platform in order to be one step closer to achieving our dream careers such as becoming a lawyer or a computer scientist. Routes such as apprenticeships, university and the application process were discussed. An interesting key point was made by a colleague, highlighting [that] employers should simplify terminology and provide clear explanations of the interview process in advance (including what to wear to the interview and the variety of questions that will be asked). This allows the candidate to feel less intimidated into applying for a job as it explains what will happen after applying for the job and what possibly could be asked of the one applying for the job.

Pos -event we got amazing positive feedback. Many mentioned the webinar helped them immensely and gave them a good insight. Events such as Career Guidance Reversed not only helps others outside EY Foundation but also helps young people help improve their confidence and their knowledge on certain topics that maybe are not mentioned enough in schools. It makes us feel heard and appreciated as a young person.

You can watch the event recording here: