Tag Archives: adult

Young Person’s Guarantee Case Study: Medusa

Medusa have accessed YPG funding to support to the creation of 2 new positions within the team. They have been able to create these opportunities for Cerys and Sadie.

“We have found the YPG paid placement scheme to be really beneficial to our organisation,

It has allowed us to invest in training numerous young people, and with out the support of the programme it would have had an adverse impact on the company’s ability to operate normally.

We are extremely appreciative of the support and the opportunities the scheme has allowed us.”

“Being able to get a funded position in Medusa has given me the best possible start in my career. I have gained so many new skills not only in actually doing hair training but also as a person I am much more confident in communicating and working with others.” – Sadie.

Young Person’s Guarantee Case Study: Forth Blinds

Forth Blinds has been trading since 2015 and now employs 8 people. Like most small businesses, recruitment for additional team members begins when there is an immediate need for the role to be filled. This often meant a hastily arranged interview and selection process. Furthermore, because the person was needed straight away he/she had to have a good knowledge of fitting blinds in order to be able to hit the ground running.  Finding someone with these skills was extremely difficult.

In order to be proactive and ahead of the game, Forth Blinds made a conscious decision to ‘recruit before needed’. The cost implications here are significant so it was a case of how best to afford this. Scottish Government initiatives to create jobs for young people seemed the way forward.

East Lothian Works were contacted, and several options were available to the company. The Young Persons Guarantee (YPG) scheme was the most appropriate and Forth Blinds applied for and were granted funding for an Assistant Blind Installer. The whole process was simple and uncomplicated.

Six weeks later Andrew, 17 years old, joined the business. A simple training plan was drawn up and he spent the first week having instructional and theoretical training in the office. This had never been done previously so Andrew was well prepared for when he went out with the experienced installers. Good quality fitting tools were bought with the funding given. Seven months into the programme Andrew’s customer service skills are superb and his confidence and maturity have risen beyond recognition.

“I am enjoying my time at Forth Blinds and feel I am gaining great experience and knowledge.  I like that every day is different, and I look forward to learning more.” – Andrew.

I encourage any business owner wanting to grow and develop their organization to contact East Lothian Works. Not only do Forth Blinds have a superbly trained installer on board but this has now freed up one of the other experienced installers to be trained in measuring and surveying – another major step forward for the company. The YPG scheme will be instrumental in Forth Blinds meeting its long-term goals and objectives.
Phil O’Brien, Director, Forth Blinds Ltd

Kickstart Case Study: East Lothian Council Protective Services

When we were recruiting staff for our new Testing Centre in Stoneyhill, we decided that we would like to give someone who was currently out of work the opportunity to come and work for us.   We thought that the Kickstart Initiative was great, as it offered a young person the chance to join our Team, for 6 months when we could offer work in a supportive team environment where they could learn new skills, build their confidence and gain some experience working as a member of a team.

Connor came into the Team not knowing anyone or anything about the job, he has taken this opportunity and has become a very important member of our Testing Team.  Connor is valued by everyone in the Team, he can carry out every aspect of the job with confidence and ease.   We hope that this opportunity will help Connor to take the skills and experience he has gained to help him now to move into a permanent job.

Connor says that “this experience has improved my confidence and I have enjoyed every minute of it”

Connor’s position has also been extended with the support of funding through Young Person’s Guarantee. This has allowed him to continue working with the team and continue supporting the local community through the Testing programme.

Ceilidh dancing for esol students

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On Monday night a group of our ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) learners, along with their tutors, took to the dance floor for a truly Scottish night. Attendees were accompanied by an accordionist, and learnt a selection of traditional Scottish ceilidh dances in order to celebrate St. Andrew’s Day (30th of November).

Three ESOL classes joined in the merriment, with a mixture of dancing, clapping, and spectating taking place. It was a fantastic night, with fun had by all!

If you’re interested in our ESOL programme, please contact East Lothian Works on:

Email: elworks@eastlothian.gov.uk
Tel: 01620 827 262

Keep up to date with East Lothian Works:
Twitter – twitter.com/EL_Works
Facebook – facebook.com/EastLothianWorks

Paddle Boarding Trip

Today’s post focuses on Matthew, one of the young people we work with at East Lothian Works. He has recently completed his Activity Agreement with the Transitions Team, and has since successfully moved on to a Positive Destination.

Matthew has engaged in several activities and courses, and as a result he has learnt many valuable skills, such as good time keeping, reliability, team working, and confidence. The final activity Matthew participated in with his Employment Support Worker Steve Nelson, was to spend an afternoon learning to Stand Up Paddle, which involved reliability, confidence, trust, and listening to and following instructions. But it also involved a great deal of fun!

We wish Matthew all the best for the future as he moves on to a college course (Professional Cookery). Watch this space for the next celebrity chef!

Keep up to date with East Lothian Works:
Twitter – twitter.com/EL_Works
Facebook – facebook.com/EastLothianWorks

Staff Spotlight: an interview with Anne Mercer and Liliana

For this week’s Staff Spotlight, I sat down with Anne Mercer, a Volunteer Tutor with East Lothian’s Adult Literacy team, as well as ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). I also met with Liliana, a learner who is working with Anne to improve her English. The Staff Spotlight series aims to promote the hard work that the Adult Services team in East Lothian Works do, and to show the impact they have on the community.

Continue reading Staff Spotlight: an interview with Anne Mercer and Liliana →

Staff Spotlight: An Interview with Blathnaid Quinn

In this week’s Staff Spotlight, we will be talking to Blathnaid Quinn, one of East Lothian Council’s Adult Services Tutors. Having worked with adults in the local area, teaching Literacy, Numeracy, and working on Employability, Blathnaid is an important figure in the community when it comes to these subject areas, and therefore she seemed like the perfect person to speak to in order to learn more about this service.

Continue reading Staff Spotlight: An Interview with Blathnaid Quinn →

A Summery Summary

Love it or hate it, the summer is beginning to come to an end, and before you know it, school will be back in session, and some people will be going back to work. Therefore it seemed like a good time to look back and reflect on the summer that East Lothian Works has had – we certainly have been keeping busy!

Our team have been hard at work, planning courses and frameworks to be delivered to students all the way in 2020. It seems far away, but it’s important to be ready in plenty of time, as it will be Christmas before you know it! The team have been working on collaborating with Edinburgh College to ensure that secondary school students in East Lothian get the opportunity to take part in a wide range of courses as part of the School-College Partnership programme.

The Pre-Vocational team have been doing similar; working together to ensure a fantastic range of courses are available next year. East Lothian Works has also been working on Foundation Apprenticeships, working on our current offer and what we can do to always be improving. The team have also been focusing on our young people doing Activity Agreements, ensuring they are given the best opportunities we can provide.

Even at this early stage, we are already thinking about Jobs Kingdom Live 2020. It feels like the event only happened yesterday! We are incredibly excited to be working with our partners again to create another fantastic experience next year.

The ‘Services for Adults’ team have also been hard at work, focusing on assisting adults with their employability skills by providing bespoke guidance and training. They have been continuing to provide fantastic support for those who need it.

Overall, it has been a busy, and yet productive summer at East Lothian Works, and we are excited about implementing all our plans both in this academic year, and in 2020-2021.

Keep up to date with East Lothian Works:

Twitter – twitter.com/EL_Works
Facebook – facebook.com/EastLothianWorks

Staff Spotlight: An Interview with Gary Mitchell

In this week’s Staff Spotlight, we will be talking to Gary Mitchell, an Employment Adviser at East Lothian Works. Having worked in the field for ten years, Gary is a key figure when it comes to employment for young people in the Local Authority. Therefore he seemed to be the perfect person to speak to in order to learn more about his job role at East Lothian Works. Continue reading Staff Spotlight: An Interview with Gary Mitchell →