Young apprentices in Lanarkshire are carving out a career for themselves after graduating from a government jobs scheme.
Angel Guard, an East Kilbride-based biotech company, has offered five of their Kickstart graduates apprenticeships.
This has granted them the relevant skills and qualifications including diplomas in digital marketing, software development and other specialist coding, design and programming qualifications.
Amongst their young apprentices is Becca, who had previously found her hearing loss to be an obstacle in her job-hunt, but was able to overcome this when she landed a role with the Kickstart scheme – which, in turn, has launched her graphic design career.
Elaine Waggott, operations director and owner at Angel Guard, said: “The Kickstart scheme is just the beginning of the journey for our young employees like Becca.
"We have made the decision to enrol them in the QA apprenticeships as we believe that by investing in our Kickstart Graduates, this will not only benefit their career opportunities, but also enrich the knowledge and commercial value they bring to our company.”
Over 130,000 young people have now started roles with the UK Government’s Kickstart scheme, with many staying on as apprentices when their Kickstart jobs end, providing the skills that businesses and individuals need to grow and progress.
From football coaching, to trade merchants and biotech, employers involved in the flagship scheme have discovered the wealth of talent that’s available through the national network of Jobcentres and recognised the value young employees add to their business.
Minister for Employment, Mims Davies MP said: “I’ve heard from committed employers about the brilliant young people they’re keeping on, after they found employment through our Kickstart scheme.
“It’s fantastic to hear that we’ve now got 130,000 young people into jobs where they can progress, including into apprenticeships, and we’re committed to help even more businesses boost their workforces with the job-ready talent at our Jobcentres.”
Apprenticeships are designed and developed by industry, so they provide the skills that businesses and individuals need to grow. They are a key way businesses are able to train new joiners, including former jobseekers hired through the Kickstart scheme, so they can rise up the ranks more quickly.
Earlier this month, with vacancies at a record-high, the UK Government set a target to get half a million jobseekers into work, as part of its Way to Work programme.
This comes as the economy saw another hike in people on payrolls last month. DWP continues to work closely with businesses across the country to encourage them to reach out to their local Jobcentres and recruit.
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