Charity’s plan to help youngsters find skilled jobs
A Renfrewshire charity has teamed up with local businesses and organisations in a bid to provide pathways into employment for young people.
Through its specialist Skills Academy, based in Hillington, Kibble offers individual education and training programmes to meet the needs of each young person, focusing on easing the transition from full-time education to the workplace.
For many young people who attend The Skills Academy, both from within Kibble’s own services and from the wider community, entering the world of work can feel daunting.
Now, as part of The Skill’s Academy’s wider transformation plans, an industry day event brought together 15 potential employers.
To get young people excited about future career prospects, they were given the chance to try on uniforms from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and engage with robots from the University of Strathclyde’s National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS).
Secondary school-aged pupils were also introduced to organisations including Police Scotland, Scottish Leather Group, CREATE Paisley and Howden.
Each stand was surrounded by young learners keen to know more about what career opportunities were suitable to them and given information on the qualifications and life experience needed for application forms.
The Skills Academy acts as a social enterprise and allows young people to hone their own skills in an environment that is suited to their needs.
Its central aim is to help young people navigate challenges by developing skills, gaining confidence and securing qualifications that will increase their chances of finding and sustaining employment in a role they enjoy.
Mark Macmillan, Kibble director of corporate services, told the Express:“For the young people who attend our Skills Academy, it can often be overwhelming to think about leaving school so it’s incredibly important that the business community pulls together to showcase the various paths to employment.
“Kibble’s Skills Academy exists for the sole purpose of equipping young people with the confidence and the skills they need to enter the world of work and it was fantastic to see the impact that the businesses involved had on our young people.”
Kibble Group has bases across central Scotland and supports at risk children and young people aged five to 26 across the UK.
Many of the young people have experienced significant trauma in their lives and Kibble offers dedicated care and support to help them move forward.