Highland youngsters given jobs hope by trainee scheme
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YOUNG Highlanders finding it difficult to secure a job are being given a 'springboard' under a new scheme.
Highland Council, with support from Europe, has launched a project which aims to pave the way to full-time employment or future study or training for young people.
The Youth Trainee Project has funding of £440,000 until March 2014 to provide 66 young people aged between 16 and 24 with six months of paid work placements within Council services.
It will also provide the young people with mentoring through the Employability Team, which is located within Planning and Development Services.
Support will be given to the young people to develop a "personal development and achievement portfolio".
As well as on the job training, the trainees have access to Council and where appropriate, external training opportunities and should the opportunity arise, are entitled to apply for any internal vacancies.
To date, seven young people have been placed in Portree, Inverness and Thurso. A further 10 training opportunities are currently being advertised.
In Skye, Neil MacLeod is spending six months with the Council’s roads and community works team and is gaining experience in building fences and paths at locations throughout Skye.
The Council is also involved in providing a range of modern apprenticeships and currently provides a rolling programme of 27 modern apprenticeships.
Through its Business Gateway service the Council says it has also secured additional Euro funding to provide businesses with specialist recruitment advice to take on an employee for the first time.
Councillor Thomas Prag, Chairman of the Planning Environment and Development Committee, said: “We are acutely aware of the challenges facing young people in finding jobs when they leave school and further education.
"Through our commitment to youth employment, through schemes such as the youth trainee project or the modern apprenticeship scheme, young people are better informed and therefore better prepared to enter the labour market.”
