Charity staging recruitment event for young jobless

A Sheffield charity is staging a recruitment event to reach young jobless people who feel the pandemic has robbed them of a future.

The Source Skills Academy, a leading trainer which has been supporting people since 2003, says its June 2 Super Recruitment event will make it easier and less intimidating for young jobless to gain paid work placement schemes which could change their lives.

Attendees can view hundreds of roles waiting to be filled and gain support and advice on everything from cheap public transport to anxiety and confidence issues, how to create a CV and successful interview techniques.

The Source is a Gateway Provider for the government’s recently launched Kickstart scheme, which aims to get the UK’s jobless 16-24 year-olds living on Universal Credit into work.

Over 150 local employers have already come to The Source offering six-month work experience roles to more than 300 unemployed young people.

The event, in the new Community Learning Zone at The Source on Meadowhall Way, is one of the ways in which the training organisation is working alongside Job Centre Plus and employers to make applications less daunting for young candidates.

Jobcentre Plus offices across the city will be encouraging up to 50 people per hour to attend and places can also be booked direct.

Candidates can view over 300 currently available Kickstart roles and 70 apprenticeships, then meet with support workers and tutors from The Source, Jobcentre Plus specialists, mental health workers from youth service Sheffield Futures before going to meet their potential new bosses.

More than 25 employers with roles to fill will be attending, including tech firms SEO Works and Caboodle It, Marsden Weighing Machine Group, Talking Heads translation services and Thornberry Animal Sanctuary.

Kickstart roles include a wage paid by the government for six months and the Source is giving recruits training and qualifications while they work.

The hope is that Kickstart employers find many recruits so valuable they choose to keep them on via regular jobs or apprenticeships. Others will have gained the experience, confidence and qualifications to apply for jobs elsewhere.

“Kickstart is a brilliant initiative and companies rebooting after the lockdows have embraced it,” said Dale Robinson, director of business Development at The Source.

“We now have more vacancies than I’ve ever known for any government job-boosting initiative The Source has been involved in. They are from excellent employers looking for raw talent and skills.

“We know there are thousands of young people out there whose lives will be bettered by Kickstart and also by apprenticeships. But the challenge is giving 18 to 24 year-olds on Universal Credit the confidence to apply.

“We understand what is holding them back. Many won’t ever have had a job and taking that first step can be really daunting, especially after being isolated over the last year.