The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
£1m scheme links jobs to young people
Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce (DACC) will lead a £1 million initiative to connect young people to Tayside employers.
The chamber has received the Scottish Government cash to deliver the Developing Young Workforce (DYW) initiative in Dundee, Angus and Perth.
DYW Tay Cities initiative will drive employer engagement with schools and colleges. It also aims to help develop youngsters’ future skills and also support local business to get close to their future workforce.
DACC said this is vital to young people achieving a positive destination after education and will also help “talent pipelines” for employers.
Alison Henderson, DACC chief executive, said: “Employer engagement is key to the success of the DYW initiative.
“Being part of the Chamber team, with our large member base and connections with local and national businesses, means we can help the DYW regional group thrive in the Tay Cities region.”
Part of the remit is to support foundation, modern and graduate apprenticeship opportunities.
DACC has taken on 13 young apprentices over the past three years.
Ms Henderson adds: “We have found it to be a really rewarding but straightforward process.
Investing in training the workforce of the future is in every employer’s best interests.
“It gives a vital lifeline to young people who might not know what they want to do as a career or what skills they need to develop to be successful.
“This has undoubtedly helped our business to grow.”
A board for the initiative is chaired by John Duncan, performance insight lead at Aviva, and Daniel Rosie, owner of DLR Media, as vice-chairman.
They will be joined by other key stakeholders from across the area and will be focused on the strategy for the new team and reporting to the Scottish Government.
As well as engagement in schools and colleges in the area, employers will be encouraged to attend careers fairs and take part in work experience opportunities.