A new instrument, The Young People Index, has been launched to boost the confidence of young people and help teachers identify non-academic strengths that are relevant to pupils throughout their lives and in any career they choose.

The launch was held on Wednesday 22nd February 2017, at an event at Yarrells School, Dorset, which brought together a mix of local schools, businesses and parents, as well as representatives from the local council.

The Young People Index helps schools, youth organisations and employers to understand how young people can contribute; and use this to create a coaching framework that will help young people make more informed decisions about their future.

Powered by The GC Index® and developed from work initially undertaken by Dr John Mervyn-Smith, Chief Psychologist at The GC Index®, and Adrian Furnham, Management Expert and Professor of Psychology, the new instrument has been created to help young people understand and maximise the impact that they can make at school, work and in society.

Helen Rivero and Christina Turner, the Founders of the Young People Index Ltd says, “We have been using the Young People Index to help teachers guide their pupils and support them in making more informed decisions about their future. The Young People Index focuses on non-academic strengths that are relevant to pupils throughout their lives and in any career they choose, so it is completely inclusive and shows each child that they have a place in a future workforce.”

The additional online resource and workshops help support education professionals so that they can guide pupils in making decisions about their future, regardless of their academic results.

Andrew Roberts-Wray, Head Teacher at Yarrells Preparatory School, says,

“The GC Index® has helped us, as a relatively new leadership team at the school, gel quickly and drive performance to support our pupils. We are now in the process of using the Young People Index and accompanying live career data to give pupils a better insight into how they can make an impact. This has the potential to have a profound effect in many areas of education – from career planning and guidance to increased self awareness and self confidence.”

Nathan Ott, Founder of The GC Index® says,

“We were delighted to support the growth of the Young People Index, which was created from work undertaken as part of the development of The GC Index®. It seeks to benefit and improve the confidence of young people by helping identify where they can make their impact.”