Mum who helps teens to find work
AREDDISH mum-of-three has set up an online company to help teenagers find work.
Michelle Brickell, of Thornley Lane South, launched a portal where businesses can register to see teenagers who are actively looking for a job.
The 48-year-old thinks that today’s young people don’t get the same opportunities to socialise and gain experience in the work place as she did in her teenage years.
She created the website jobs4teens.co.uk to help youngsters to develop a work ethic and discover the benefits of earning their own money.
“I was lucky to grow up at a time when Saturday jobs were the norm,” said Michelle, who has a son, Lewis, aged 28, and two daughters, Eleanor, 23, and Charlotte, 16. “It gave me the chance to mix with people of all ages, learn social skills and develop a degree of responsibility.
“I’m sure that this also helped me to better prepare for the working environment when I left education, something that I feel is often lacking in today’s younger employees, but it is not necessarily their fault.”
When Michelle’s daughter Charlotte struggled to find a Saturday job, Michelle decided a website like jobs4teens could help. The site aims to match teens wanting work with businesses looking to recruit.
Michelle said: “While my children were growing up I worked as well as looking after a home with my husband. We lived a comfortable lifestyle, nice house, cars and holidays and our children didn’t want for anything, but we wanted them to understand the value of working from an early age.”
“From 13 our children were encouraged to find work and gain that experience of having some independence, whilst earning money of their own, and to appreciate what it takes to have things they want and not to rely on us to give them everything.
“We wanted to instil a good work ethic into them which turned out to be a very important thing for them in the years to follow.”
She thinks that jobs4teens will help teens to find work and gain independence. She said: “What I have created is a website that’s easy to use and full of useful information, giving teens the opportunity to gain work experience, earn money and gain essential skills and confidence, helping to provide the future UK workforce.”