The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Businesses rally to support the Hand Picked 100 campaign
A number of businesses have already stepped up to show their support for the Hand Picked 100 campaign and are helping get young people, aged 16-24, into work. These include FiFab and Marine Harvest.
FiFab’s Bill McGraw firmly believes that if you don’t put the time in to train young people, you will soon run out of skilled labour. It is one of the reasons why the Glenrothes-based manufacturer is supporting Hand Picked.
The firm is investing heavily in new plant and machinery to fulfil orders from an internationally expanding customer base. Alongside the investment programme, it is also investing in its workforce through training, creating apprenticeships and by creating jobs through Hand Picked. Recently the firm took on Adam Stanley from the Hand Picked programme.
Bill said: “We are constantly looking to bring young people into the business and Hand Picked was something different for us. We go through a lot of CVs, and it is easy to put aside those that don’t instantly seem to fit. But Hand Picked is about giving a chance to those young people you might ordinarily turn down.
“FiFab is a busy environment, it can take a while to develop in a job and there is a lot of pressure to get things right, but we also recognise that it is important to sit down with our young workforce, train them, and give them a vision of the future. Adam did not have any relevant experience, but he has hit the ground running. I could do with two or three more like him.”
Adam (24) has a young family. He had temporary jobs before going back to college to study mechanical engineering which was a big financial commitment. He was introduced to Hand Picked by his fiancée who saw information online about the scheme.
Adam said: “Hand Picked helped me sort out my CV and introduced me to FiFab as my mechanical engineering background was a good fit for them.
“I am enjoying the work at Fifab and at the moment I am working in the paint shop. My role involves prepping and masking up products before they get painted for distribution. My aim for the future is for my job to be made permanent after the 3-month Hand Picked contract.”
Over at Marine Harvest in Rosyth, Charli Skinner’s future career is now looking a lot brighter since she was taken on for a one year contract.
With a background in hospitality, Charli, aged 19, was struggling to find work in her chosen field of administration as she had no relevant work experience.
However, Charli applied for a job at CR Smith and through this, she met the Hand Picked team who assisted with her job search and matched her with Marine Harvest.
Brian Banks, Head of Engineering at Marine Harvest takes up the story.
“As a company, Marine Harvest is very focused on our people and nearly everyone in my department is currently taking part in some form of professional development. It was our HR people who first alerted me to the Hand Picked 100 programme and it seemed a good idea to meet them.
“The Hand Picked programme is well thought out and supported and has a lot of synergy with our company values. It is good for the young people concerned, the wider community and also for our business.
“One thing I particularly liked is that Hand Picked took the uncertainty away from us. We knew that Charli came recommended and had been matched to the skills we needed in an administrative assistant.
“It was so different from taking someone at face value when they come for an interview. Hand Picked made it so easy for us that it would have been difficult to say no.”
Now, Charli has been working in the busy engineering department since mid-July and is learning about how the team work and the different elements that make up her job.
Charli said: “I am really enjoying learning about Marine Harvest’s work and in particular the engineering department. It is great experience for me and everyone has been very welcoming.”
Brian added: “Charli is cheerful and full of energy – a really ebullient addition to our team. She is quick to learn and our involvement with Hand Picked has been a very positive experience.”