“It’s a win-win situation” “I’ve grown in confidence”
Jenny Mclay, 41, is the founder of Edinburghbased tourist attraction, The Chocolatarium. She says taking on a Kickstart recruit has helped her grow her business
“Before opening The Chocolatarium, I ran an English language school so I was very experienced in working with young people. I enjoy taking them on and seeing them grow as well as it being helpful for the business itself.
“We initially took on six Kickstart recruits at the end of March and one now has a job with us. The scheme allows you to grow the business in a way you couldn’t before. Before it was just myself, the assistant manager and about six guides. One of the reasons I decided to use Kickstart was because with the pandemic, we were in the process of setting up an online chocolate shop.
“With Kickstart, it’s not so much whether people have the skills – the whole point is that you can develop those skills. As long as they’re able and willing to learn, then it’s a really positive experience.
“The key thing is that if you can find a young person who is a match for you in terms of their interests and what they want to do, you’re getting talent and the government is supporting you in doing so. When you consider the training you’re giving and the benefit that a recruit is bringing, then I think it’s a win-win situation.”
Beth Jamieson, 23, works as a marketing assistant at The Chocolatarium after she was recruited through Kickstart
“I graduated in photography from Edinburgh University last year, straight into the pandemic. I was looking for jobs to do with my degree or anything, but it was a struggle in the middle of a pandemic.
“My work coach told me about the Kickstart job, for a marketing assistant with a focus on photography – marketing with social media, websites and content creation, which I’d done in my degree so I thought it was worth a shot.
“Working here has helped me financially, but also with my confidence – I call it my first ‘big girl job’ because it’s related to my degree. Learning within the context of the job you’re working in is really helpful. With other jobs you might be thrown in at the deep end – there’s more support with Kickstart.”