The Prince’s Trust Scotland has appointed three young unemployed people from Edinburgh as Job Ambassadors in an effort to help other young people move into jobs and training. Naomi Johnstone, 26, from Leith, Heather Johnstone, 24, from Sighthill and Michelle Smith, 20, of Burdiehouse, join four other young people in the role.
The Trust’s Job Ambassador initiative will offer young people who have previously participated in Prince’s Trust programmes and who have been a Prince’s Trust Young Ambassador full-time employment for one year, allowing them to hone their skills and to reach out and support other young people.
The Job Ambassadors will be based within Prince’s Trust centres in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and North Lanarkshire, with a view to increasing their reach in the months ahead.
They will give inspirational talks based on their own experiences and provide one-to-one support and guidance, helping others to re-engage and prepare for work and training.
Naomi said: “Being a Job Ambassador means the world to me. It’s been so hard to get a job within the youth work sector and this is a brilliant opportunity. The Prince’s Trust is putting a lot of faith in us and I can’t wait to start getting out and meeting young people and helping them to start moving forward.”
Heather Gray, Director of The Prince’s Trust Scotland, said: “We know that long-term unemployment can be demoralising – crushing self-esteem and derailing ambition. The young people we are employing will have lived through this and will be able to draw on their own experiences to support other young people facing similar situations. Peer to peer support is hugely beneficial in inspiring young people to engage and achieve positive outcomes and our Job Ambassadors will offer crucial advice and guidance to help others find a job. This kind of investment in Scotland’s young people is vital if we are to ensure our young talent has the opportunity to achieve and sustain a positive future.”
Jim Sweeney, Chief Executive of YouthLink Scotland, added: “This is an excellent initiative to help tackle long-term youth unemployment in Scotland. I recently attended an event where I met some of the new Job Ambassadors, their personal stories are an inspiration to us all and they will be excellent role models for others to follow.”
A second group of Job Ambassadors will be recruited early next year as The Trust aims to introduce the initiative into new areas across Scotland.
Richard Cornish, Work Services Director for Jobcentre Plus in Scotland, said: “I welcome this initiative and we will continue to workin partnership with the Prince’s Trust to help tackle youth unemployment in Scotland. We know it’s a huge challenge, and that’s why Jobcentre Plus is committed to helping young peopledevelop the skills and experience they need to get a job through the £1 billion Youth Contract.”