A Young Employee Network (YEN) is a staff network that promotes the activities and interests of young people by bringing together young people across local government.
Young people are under-represented in our sector, making up just 4.7 per cent of local government jobs.
As part of their commitment to equality and diversity, some councils have created young employee networks with the aim of helping young people socialise, develop, and learn skills alongside their age-peers. YENs often combine social events with professional support for young people to make the most out of their experience at the council.
The benefits of having a YEN
There a number of reasons to establish a YEN. They can:
- attract and retain young people to local government
- build the confidence of young employees through networking with age-peers
- allow young people to network with senior and experienced staff
- enable young employees to meet with other people of a similar age which creates the opportunity to work together on common issues.
Outside of individual benefits, a YEN is great for overcoming silos in a council and improving collaborative working
Anna Woodberry, Graduate Trainee at Stoke on Trent Council
Top tips
If you are interested in setting up your own YEN at your council, we have made some top tips for you in collaboration with the YEN working group: