Employability Day 2019 will take place during a pivotal year in British politics. It provides the perfect platform for organisations to showcase the importance of employment support for social inclusion and productivity. 

Employability Day has grown exponentially since 2016. In 2018, nearly 700 organisations took part in the day, with over 250 separate events (nearly a third more than the year before). A broad range of organisations were involved – from employment support providers, social enterprises and employers, to local authorities, health groups and housing associations, plus charities, faith-based organisations and community groups.

The year 2018 saw a sharp increase in the number of employers getting involved, with hundreds of businesses taking part in activity days, including Google, IBM, Bupa, Tesco, Barclays, the National Theatre, Gatwick Airport and West Ham United.

Nearly 70 stakeholders, including Ministers, MPs, MSPs, AMs, MEPs, Council Leaders, Mayors, and officials took part in the day. This included eight Government Ministers and Shadow Ministers. 

The hashtag #EmpDay18 trended in the top five all day across the UK, as well as briefly the day before. There were over 3,500 Tweets from 1,250 different accounts with an exposure of nearly 11 million. In total, there were nearly 1,000 unique #EmpDay18 Tweets. 

There was strong local coverage of Employability Day activities, with over 30 individual pieces, as well as sector press and radio. 

And although impossible to count, it is estimated that thousands of jobseekers took part in the day, with organisations reporting large numbers of people attending job fairs and activity mornings to show their support and find out about local opportunities. 

ERSA will be producing an Employability Day 2019 toolkit to help organisations hosting events or supporting the day online. This will include promotional materials (logos, banners, posters); template invitations; press releases; messaging, briefings with practical guidance and the EmpDay map.  

There are innumerable many ways to get involved in Employability Day 2019. For more ideas and inspiration and to keep us updated with your plans, please contact ERSA.