SOLIHULL businesses are being urged to sign up to a scheme to support young people at risk of violence.
The Summer Jobs Programme, which launched last year, provides paid work experience for young people in a bid to provide them with a brighter future.
The programme runs during the summer holidays and includes a preparation week, five weeks of paid work experience – funded by the scheme – and wraparound support from a youth worker.
Thora Eberts, UK Youth head of network delivery, said: “The scheme was a huge success last summer, helping hundreds of young people build confidence and develop their employability skills.
“Now we are looking for more employers prepared to welcome, work with, mentor and supervise a vulnerable young person in a safe and supported way.
“As well as providing young people with paid work experience, developing their employability, the Summer Jobs Programme offers companies the chance to do some real good and offer opportunities to vulnerable young people – alongside the prospect of extra staff over the summer months. I urge firms to come forward, host a placement and help make a significant impact in the lives of young people.”
Employers who took part last year included Timpson, Veolia and Morgan Sindall, and UK Youth revealed four-fifths said they would most likely take part again and many offering the young person a permanent role – Burger King, for example, hired more than half of the 21 young people it provided placements for.
Among last year’s employers, 82 per cent said they were satisfied with the overall programme, with the same percentage saying they were satisfied with the young person’s fulfilment of tasks.
One placement supervisor said of their young person: “I’ve definitely seen him grow in maturity and confidence, for sure, and I think that comes from being trusted. I think it comes from being paid well as well.”
Another said: “The young person was really quiet and shy when he arrived, but he came out of his shell and from the start to the end of the programme his confidence improved dramatically. We didn’t treat him any differently from the rest of the team, he exceeded our expectations and I like to think he left with some useful experience and a sense of pride in what he had achieved.”
The Summer Jobs Programme is part of a large research project to learn better ways to support young people at risk of violence.
The project is funded by the Youth Endowment Fund, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Youth Futures Foundation.
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