Charities, social enterprises, community groups and the public sector search for volunteers
Volunteer Edinburgh will welcome more than 50 organisations to Scotland’s largest volunteer recruitment fair on Wednesday, 20 September between 11am and 7pm at St Paul’s and St Georges Church on York Place. Continue reading All welcome at Scotland’s largest Volunteer Recruitment Fair
Young peoples’ hard work praised by Everest mountaineer
Thirty three young people from across Edinburgh have just completed an 18 week training programme – and 18 of them have gone straight into employment, apprenticeship or further education following their training! Continue reading Honest TOIL!
Investors in Young People award for ProjectScotland
ProjectScotland, the charity which helps young people to get on in life through volunteering, has been awarded the Investors in Young People accreditation, a new award created by Investors in People Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Government.
The accolade recognises employers for their recruitment and retention of young people in the work place. With a quarter of ProjectScotland staff (above) under 25 the award further cements ProjectScotland’s ethos and commitment to developing young people.
Congratulating the charity on their award, Minister for Youth and Women’s Employment Annabelle Ewing said: “I would like to congratulate ProjectScotland on achieving the new Investors in Young People accreditation. ProjectScotland recognise the benefits of recruiting and developing young people and that it is not just the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do.
“Employers have a crucial role to play in supporting youth employment in Scotland and the new Investors in Young People framework and accolade offers help and recognition which will encourage more employers to do that.”
Paul Reddish, CEO of ProjectScotland, said: “We are very proud of our Investors in Young People award. As a charity we offer 16 – 30 year olds a three month volunteering opportunity, allowing them to learn new skills and gain valuable experience while giving back to society as we believe that young people have the talent to transform their lives and the communities around them. That’s why here at ProjectScotland young people are a big part of our work force and we aim for this to not only continue but grow.
“This award acknowledges that we are investing in young people and it’s great to see the Scottish Government and Investors in People recognising our achievements.”
People management specialists, Investors in People selected a sample of employees from ProjectScotland to discuss various aspects of their role, the organisation and training as well as reviewing how the charity attracts, recruits and retains young people.
Ewan Hunter, Investor in People Specialist said: “ProjectScotland has a great ethos and are very well connected to the whole ‘Young People’ agenda. They have a clear understanding of the importance of employing and developing young people and the enormous benefits to both the employer and the young person.
“I would like to commend them and congratulate them on their award and achievements. We look forward to working with ProjectScotland as they continue the excellent work they do in this vital part of Scotland’s economy.”
£100,000 funding has been awarded through Creative Scotland to support ten full time, year-long traineeships across the arts, screen and creative industries, it was announced today.
Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop in Hawthornvale will be one of the five capital-based organisations to offer traineeships.
The Traineeships Programme aims to support the employment prospects for people aged 20-30yrs interested in developing a career in arts and culture, by creating valuable work experience opportunities.
Traineeships will take place at Africa In Motion (AiM) Film Festival, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Media Education, Starcatchers and Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS) in Edinburgh; GMAC Film and Barrowland Ballet in Glasgow; Ayr Gaiety Theatre in Ayrshire; The Pier Arts Centre in Orkney, and with Jewellery designer Eileen Gatt in the Highlands.
Leonie Bell, Director of Arts & Engagement, Creative Scotland said: “Creative Scotland is committed to supporting the creation of opportunities for young people to gain employment, work experience and vocational qualifications in the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland.
“These traineeships will offer young people the opportunity to develop the skills and professional experience needed to progress in their chosen profession by removing barriers to paid work experience.
“At the same time, organisations will benefit from fresh, innovative ideas and enthusiasm of the trainees.”
Traineeships will be offered across the following areas:
Visual Arts
Assistant Curator (Programme Team) – Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop
Gallery Programmes Trainee: Exhibitions, Learning & Digital (Curatorial and Education) – The Pier Arts Centre
Film
Shadow Curator – Africa In Motion (AiM) Film Festival
Online Film Content Developer – GMAC Film
Trainee Project Assistant / Member of Production Team – Media Education
Theatre and Dance
Starcatchers Trainee Associate Artist – Starcatchers Productions
Programme Officer (Programming Department) – Ayr Gaiety
Dance Participation Artist, Participation and Outreach Department – Barrowland Ballet
Craft
Eileen Gatt: Jewellery designer/maker
Literature
Digital and Language Resources Trainee – TRACS based at the Scottish Storytelling Centre.
All Traineeships will be advertised on Creative Scotland’s Opportunities site.
Welcoming the announcement Irene Kernan, Director at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, said: “The Creative Scotland Traineeship will support Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop’s aims of developing talent and supporting young artists in their careers. Being able to employ a trainee for a full year provides a valuable opportunity for us to bring new approaches and skills to the staff team and further develop our public programme to connect with local audiences.”
