Moving on Up (MoU) helps more young Black men in London find work. The programme is jointly funded by Trust for London and City Bridge Trust, and delivered by Action for Race Equality.
The issue
Young Black men are far more likely to be out of work than any other group of young people, no matter how qualified they are. Even with a degree, a young Black man is up to four times more likely to be unemployed than his white counterpart. Employment among young Black men was also disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Unemployment among BME workers aged 16-24 rose by 50% from 2019-2020.
How Moving on Up started
In 2013, Panorama’s Jobs for the Boys reported that over 50% of young Black men were unemployed. After the programme aired, Trust for London and Jobcentre Plus contacted Action for Race Equality (ARE) and City Bridge Trust to see how we could help change this striking inequality.
We found that there was very little evidence for what works to get more young Black men into employment. So Trust for London funded ARE (formerly known as Black Enterprise Training Group) to carry out some action research and, in 2014, the Action Plan to Increase Employment Rates for Young Black Men was published.
The story so far
The Moving on Up programme officially launched in 2015. Until 2017, it focused on helping 250 young Black men find and secure jobs. Since then, it’s moved some of its attention onto employers and what they can do to get more young Black men into work. Currently, Moving on Up is testing a ‘collective impact approach’ - in other words, how organisations can come together to offer employment support services that meet the needs of young Black men.
What does Moving on Up do?
Collective impact approach
The programme is currently testing a collective impact approach, bringing organisations together to see how employment support services can better help young Black men in Brent and Newham.
Employer engagement
A Moving on Up Champions Group, made up of employers such as Thames Water and Veritas Investment and supported by the Inclusive Employers Toolkit, are taking action within their organisation, raising awareness of Moving on Up, and sharing their views to better the programme.
Peer ambassadors
Twelve young Black men aged between 16-24 give input to different parts of the programme.
Strategic communications
The Behavioural Insights Team at the Greater London Authority have been testing different messages with employers.
Research
MoU continues to carry out research to understand more about young Black male unemployment and shares these figures with lobbyists, policy makers and in briefing papers to make change happen.
MoU also continues to learn, evaluate and test information to see what works best to get employers, policymakers and delivery agencies on board with helping more young Black men into employment.