Aberdeenshire Council
Peter Matthews, HR Adviser at Aberdeenshire Council, shares how the council has improved its Youth Employment Strategy with their employability programme, WorkPlus.
WorkPlus was developed to assist young care leavers with work experience and employability skills training. The programme takes participants through the job application process, right through to undertaking an interview and a paid job.
Participants are supported by an employability worker throughout the programme, and receive support in preparing and undertaking interviews.
WorkPlus aims to provide young care leavers with employability skills training and an 8 week paid work experience placement within an Aberdeenshire Council service.
Participants apply for the programme as they would for any other job. They complete an application form, undertake a job interview and work towards an agreed job description within an Aberdeenshire Council service.
To date the programme has had some fantastic outcomes. Out of the five participants to date, three people have successfully secured paid employment.
One of these participants has recently secured a Modern Apprenticeship in Health and Social Care with Aberdeenshire Council.
The programme has been really effective way of giving young people ‘just in time’ training, along with a meaningful paid job. Place and train seems to be a much more effective way of getting people from under represented groups into sustainable employment.
For more details on the Aberdeenshire Council youth employment strategy, please contact Peter Matthews via email.