Talent RISE and Skillsoft Join Forces to Upskill Young People as Youth Unemployment Soars

Melbourne – 25 August 2020 Talent RISE and Skillsoft have announced a partnership to provide upskilling opportunities for young people experiencing barriers to employment.

Recent job report figures show youth unemployment (15-24 years old) officially hit 16.3 percent last month. This figure is more than double the Australian unemployment rate of 7.5 percent and the highest level recorded since mid-1998. Employment for young Australians is more likely to be affected by COVID-19, as a greater percentage of youth work in industries most impacted by the crisis.

Recognising that upskilling is essential for this demographic as they seek work, Skillsoft has provided access to free learning content to the young people Talent RISE supports to enable them to learn valuable skills and become work-ready.

Talent RISE, the charity arm of Talent International, offers education, training, work readiness programs, and job placement opportunities for young people who experience challenging barriers to employment. Wherever possible, RISE provides these young people with entry-level tech or digital roles and access to Skillsoft learning content.

Despite the hiring rate across the economy falling, data from LinkedIn shows that the need for software and IT support is up 17.3 percent, whileother administration and business-based roles are showing consistent demand. Through the relationship with Skillsoft, RISE provides young people complimentary access to more than 1,000 courses related to business and professional development and computing that will enable them to upskill in these more in-demand sectors.

Talent RISE Founder Richard Earl said the support from Skillsoft will have a significant impact on the charity’s young people and the broader community.

“The immediate impact of the coronavirus downturn on workers has been large and unequal, with young people being hit the hardest. To find work, many young people are going to need to change industries and reskill in areas of higher demand such as the tech and digital sector which is where Talent operates. This generous gift of learning content licenses from Skillsoft couldn’t come at a better time for our young people and will enable them to upskill in order to re-enter the job market in this challenging time.”

“Many young people have suffered job loss due to COVID-19, so we’re delighted to be able to support the youth community with the opportunity to upskill,” says Rosie Cairnes, vice president, Skillsoft APAC. “Digital transformation and emerging technologies are generating jobs that require candidates to have deeper technical skills training, and this is a great opportunity for young people to get up to speed with how to implement, interpret, and manage technology to ensure they’re employable.”

Sarah Butt, one of the Talent RISE young people leveraging the complimentary access to Skillsoft courses, reflected on the opportunity stating, “The Talent RISE team have been working with me to help me find employment which has been challenging during COVID-19, but the access to Skillsoft online learning courses has provided me with the opportunity to upskill and enhance my knowledge during this time. I believe this opportunity is going to allow myself and other young people to get the skills we need to find jobs and careers which is fantastic! I’m looking forward to exploring more courses and I’m really excited to add the accreditations to my CV.”

To date, Talent RISE has engaged more than 3,000 young people through workshops and mentoring and successfully placed 250 and counting into meaningful employment across Australia, New Zealand, and EMEA.

For more information about Talent RISE and how companies can support young people into employment look up www.talentrise.org


About Talent RISE

Talent RISE is a charity committed to changing the lives of young people who have experienced barriers to employment by providing education, training, life skills and opportunities to help them gain independence and purpose through meaningful work. Talent RISE is the charity arm of Talent the largest independently-owned and operated digital recruitment specialist in Australia and New Zealand. Talent operates across 18 locations around the world with over 300 employees.

Established in 2014, Talent RISE was created to address the high level of youth unemployment and is dedicated to upskilling and empowering young people to commence and build thriving, sustainable careers, whilst assisting employers to build inclusive working environments and bring young people into their organisations. Currently operating in five of the Talent locations across Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, Talent is committed to extending RISE into all of its 18 locations around the world... To learn more about Talent RISE visit www.talentrise.org

About Skillsoft
Skillsoft delivers digital learning, training, and talent solutions to help organizations unleash their edge. Leveraging immersive, engaging content, Skillsoft enables organizations to unlock the potential in their best assets — their people — and build teams with the skills they need for success. Empowering 45 million learners and counting, Skillsoft democratizes learning through an intelligent learning experience and a customized, learner-centric approach to skills development with resources for Leadership Development, Business Skills, Technology and Developer, Digital Transformation, and Compliance.

Skillsoft and SumTotal are partners to thousands of leading global organizations, including many Fortune 500 companies. The company features three award-winning systems that support learning, performance and success: Skillsoft learning content, the Percipio intelligent learning experience platform, and the SumTotal suite for Talent Development, which offers measurable impact across the entire employee lifecycle. Learn more at  www.skillsoft.com.

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Media Contact
Jen Kaye
Senior Manager, Communications
jen.kaye@skillsoft.com
(617) 512-0059