Alison Johnstone, Lothian MSP and Scottish Green Party Spokesperson on Health, Wellbeing and Sport, joined two groups of young people from Street League Edinburgh as they played a friendly match at Spartans Community Football Academy at Ainslie Park yesterday. Continue reading On the ball: Johnstone meets Street League stars at Spartans
Tag: Employability
Granton Youth Centre needs your help!
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – #VOTEGYC
We promised you big news – and here it is! We’re delighted to announce that Granton Youth Centre is one of the finalists for the RBS Skills and Opportunities Funding. Continue reading Granton Youth Centre needs your help!
Working It Out with Tomorrow’s People
Tomorrow’s People are taking referrals for their next Working It Out course that starts this month. The Working It Out course supports unemployed young people – 16-24 yrs – to gain experience and build skills to enter into further training or employment.
Every course is made up of 14 young people, with the majority of the programme spent working on community challenges. These challenges help build a young person’s employability skills, experience, team-work skills and self-esteem.
The challenges benefit the local community and give an opportunity for young people to be seen doing something positive in their local community.
Recent challenges have included:
- Painting the offices of the MS Therapy Centre, Leith
- Building and maintaining Pilton Community Garden,
- Applying anti-climb paint to roofs of Pilton Equalities Project,
- Conservation work at Hopetoun House and South Queensferry
- Painting the sports area at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre
- Assisting in the building and maintaining of Cyclone Gipsy Brae Trails Mountain Bike Track
- Landscaping and planting trees as part of the North Edinburgh Grows project
- Painting the visitors centre at Glenkinchie Whiskey Distillery, East Lothian.
The programme runs for 16 weeks – places are limited but young people living in North Edinburgh are prioritised.
For further information telephone 0798 066 9019 or email wio.edinburgh@tomorrows-people.co.uk
Support not stereotypes, says Lazarowicz
Young people looking for their first job: Mark Lazarowicz MP calls on Government to offer support not stereotypes
Mark Lazarowicz MP is highlighting a new scheme run by the voluntary sector EY Foundation that will offer paid work experience, advice and support to young people in Edinburgh looking for their first job.
Youth unemployment (amongst 16-24 year-olds) is still running at 18.1% in Scotland and 16.9% in the UK as a whole. In Scotland it has increased by 4.5% since 2008.
The North and Leith MP is urging young people in Edinburgh to apply for the Foundation’s Smart Futures scheme, a ten-month paid work experience programme.
He said: “Schemes like Smart Futures and the City Council’s Edinburgh Guarantee are priceless opportunities for young people to get experience and the skills to succeed in finding their first job.
“Labour is committed to introducing a compulsory Jobs Guarantee that would ensure young people who are unemployed start gaining vital work experience and skills.
“Too often the Government resorts to negative stereotypes, talking of the well-worn path from school gate to Jobcentre and on to a life on benefits.
“The reality is that the vast majority of young people desperately want to work and are eager to apply for schemes like Smart Futures – the Government should learn from it and the Edinburgh Guarantee because too often it’s the Government that’s failing not young people.”
The scheme gives young people work experience and the chance to meet with people in business and get valuable tips on writing CVs, application and interview advice, as well as an EY Foundation mentor throughout Sixth Year.
The City Council’s Edinburgh Guarantee aims to ensure that every school leaver goes into employment, further education, or training by bringing them together with employers. There is more information on how it works at
https://www.edinburghguarantee.org/about-us/
Applications for the EY Foundation’s summer 2015 Smart Futures scheme are now open until 1 March 2015 and anyone keen to apply can find more information on it at http://ukcareerguide.ey.com/schools/ey-smart-futures
Meet beats tweet when looking for work
‘Getting out there and speaking with people is just as important as being online’ – Grahame Smith, Scottish STUC
Technology may have invaded every aspect of our lives, but new research shows a personal touch is still the best when it comes to getting a job.
The 2014 Employer Perspectives Survey, released today by government skills experts the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), shows that despite the meteoric rise of social media, just 7% of employers say they’ve used it to recruit new staff.
Based on interviews with more than 18,000 employers across the UK, the study reveals that recruitment methods involving the human touch, such as filling vacancies through word of mouth and personal recommendation are still widely used by employers.
Just over one in ten (11%) of employers said they used work experience as a recruitment tool, whilst the number offering a job as a result of a speculative enquiry has more than doubled.
Although the findings may be welcomed by parents who are unconvinced that their offspring’s broadband consumption actually equates to job hunting, the researchers say the findings point to a greater need to hone jobseekers’ social skills.
Grahame Smith, a Commissioner at UKCES and General Secretary of the Scottish TUC said:
Digital skills are crucial in the modern workplace, and while many young people excel in this area, these findings show how important it is for jobseekers to also develop their personal presence. Getting out there and speaking with people is just as important as being online, but it’s more difficult for the digital generation.
That’s why it’s important to break down the barriers between education and employers. By offering simple things like business mentoring, careers talks, work experience and mock interviews, businesses can make a huge difference to the future of young people. Our research shows that whilst only a minority of employers currently work with schools and colleges in this way, the good news is that those that do say it’s easy and rewarding.
Michael Davis, chief executive of UKCES, said:
For those looking for work, making use of social media when job hunting can bring a world of information at the click of a mouse, but when it comes to making that all important first impression it seems there’s no substitute for legwork.
This research shows that what really matters to employers is an opportunity to get face to face with candidates, and get a real understanding of how they tick and what they can offer.
For employers it’s important to not become over-dependent on one form of recruitment. Our research shows that word of mouth is still commonly used to hire staff – but this risks missing out on a huge talent pool just because people don’t happen to be plugged into the right professional networks.
By striking a balance, both sides can benefit. Creating strong links with local education providers is just one way of achieving this, allowing employers to see first-hand what young people can offer, while simultaneously giving young people opportunity to build crucial contacts.
Other findings from the report include:
- businesses in London and the south-east are most likely to recruit a young person – 32% of employers have recruited a young person in the past 12 months.
- businesses in the East Midlands, the south-east and the south-west are most likely to have recruited an older person (aged over 50) with 33% of employers reporting they’ve taken on an older member of staff in the past 12 months.
- nearly half (49%) of hotels and restaurants have recruited young people in the past year, compared with just 13% of employers in the utilities sector.
Bert's back!
Just another day at the office, so I thought, when a weel-kent face came in with leaflets for a new ‘SET UP & GO PROGRAMME’ – information on a course designed to support individuals into self–employment/working from home.
Readers of the loved NEN paper will without doubt remember the ‘Where’s Bert?’ feature – it was terrific to see Bert looking so fit and well and still working for the Community.
The course duration is 12 hours per week over 3 days; in a 3 week course.
If you do not have this leaflet and are interested in it, please feel free to pop into Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre where we have the leaflets at the reception desk. ( OOPS did I give the location of Bert away ? Sorry – there will be no prizes for guessing where Bert is now!
For further detail contact Bert on 0758925313 or Lynne 07816786934.
PICTURE: MMCC manager Peter Airlie (left) with Bert and Lynne
James McGinty, Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre
Bert’s back!
Just another day at the office, so I thought, when a weel-kent face came in with leaflets for a new ‘SET UP & GO PROGRAMME’ – information on a course designed to support individuals into self–employment/working from home.
Readers of the loved NEN paper will without doubt remember the ‘Where’s Bert?’ feature – it was terrific to see Bert looking so fit and well and still working for the Community.
The course duration is 12 hours per week over 3 days; in a 3 week course.
If you do not have this leaflet and are interested in it, please feel free to pop into Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre where we have the leaflets at the reception desk. ( OOPS did I give the location of Bert away ? Sorry – there will be no prizes for guessing where Bert is now!
For further detail contact Bert on 0758925313 or Lynne 07816786934.
PICTURE: MMCC manager Peter Airlie (left) with Bert and Lynne
James McGinty, Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre
Last call for Childcare course places
LAST CHANCE TO APPLY FOR THE CHILDCARE ACADAMY IN 2014!!!
We have a few spaces left on the Childcare Academy starting on 25 August.
I have attached a poster and standard information for display and distribution.
Thanks
Audrey O’Neill
Training Administrator
North Edinburgh Childcare
18b Ferry Road Avenue
Edinburgh
EH4 4BL
DDI: 0131 311 6931
Fax: 0131 315 4420
www.northedinburghchildcare.co.uk
August 2014 CA Publicity Poster 01.06.14
Jobs Fair at Granton Campus
Edinburgh College is hosting a jobs fair next Wednesday (30 April), where job seekers will have the opportunity to meet potential employers.
The jobs fair is aimed at anyone looking for a new job, including students about to finish their studies and people looking to change careers. More than 20 organisations will be present at the event, where attendees will be able to find out about career opportunities, full and part-time vacancies, and volunteer and placement opportunities.
Organisations attending include: Skills Development Scotland; Volunteer Centre Edinburgh; Radisson Hotels; Smile Childcare; The Action Group; Blue Arrow; Apex Hotels; Autism Initiatives; the Army; the RAF; Jobcentre Plus; Scottish Ambulance Service; Specialized Security; Remploy; Business Gateway; Independent Living Services; Police Scotland; Brightwork Ltd.
As well as employers, the Support@Work group, which is part of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, will be available to advise on employee rights and explain how to resolve any issues with an employer. It has previously helped students with issues such as not receiving the minimum wage or a proper contract of employment. Edinburgh College’s Jobzone and Student Services staff will also be on hand to provide advice about careers.
The jobs fair is free to attend and is taking place on Wednesday 30 April between 3pm and 6pm at:
Edinburgh College Granton Campus,
350 West Granton Road,
Edinburgh, EH5 1QE
Wow! Lottery funding for local womens’ project
The Big Lottery Fund Scotland announced its latest package of funding worth over £5.5 million to eleven projects across Scotland today – and Leith-based Women onto Work (WoW) was one of the biggest winners, receiving a grant of £600,000.
Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair, Maureen McGinn, said: “I am delighted to announce this latest round of grants from our Investing in Communities portfolio. JMT Care Services’ In Touch project supports young people as they leave care and Midlothian Sure Start is helping fathers, who have complex issues, develop a relationship with their children. Women onto Work will provide skills and experience for women across Edinburgh to take that first step back into employment and I am delighted that our money will help to expand this service further. All three projects are focusing on the heart of the community, trying to ensure a good start for our children and young people. They are doing extremely valuable work helping people in need and building stronger, more connected communities. These are excellent examples of the type of project we wish to fund and it is good to know that today’s grants will enhance the services they provide.”
Based at Norton Park, Women Onto Work receives a grant of £600k to provide help to women across the capital who need a bit of extra support to help them get back into the workplace. Each woman who enters the “Ready For Work” programme will receive tailored training and be able to access one to one coaching support which will help to signpost them to further education, training, job clubs or volunteering opportunities.
WoW Business Development Manager, Alex Lambert, said: “Women Onto Work has been supporting women who face barriers move towards employment since 1989. We help them to develop new skills so they have the best possible chance of finding sustainable employment. We are absolutely thrilled about this funding which means that we are going to be able to offer this platinum, personalised service to nearly 350 new clients over the next three years. These new clients will be women who live with a mental or emotional health problem and those who are struggling single parents. Women who are currently socially and financially marginalised and simply cannot get the help they need to progress through existing services.
“As well as scaling up our work to meet unmet demand in Edinburgh, the Big Lottery Fund award means we’re now going to be able to offer our service to women in the Lothians and Scottish Borders. We can’t wait to share this news with all of our partners and, most importantly, with the many women who are waiting for this service.”
Today’s funding is part of a package of eleven Big Lottery Fund Scotland, Investing in Community grants totalling £5,618,181. To see today’s other successful projects visit http://news.biglotteryfund.org.uk/newsroom-uk.