Tag Archives: employment

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.

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.

Hibs Coaching Success For East Lothian Student

Congratulations to Blake, an East Lothian student who has made full use of the School College Partnership programme and has landed himself a coaching place with Hibernian FC Youth Academy!

Hibs have recognised Blake’s passion for the sport and his determination to start a career in football and have offered him the brilliant opportunity of coaching twice a week. This opportunity arose when Blake joined the Hibs course as part of the School College Partnership programme. The course covers employability opportunities within sport outside of being a football player. With around 50 different job titles within the club there are many paths one can take to find a career they enjoy, have interest in and feel passionately about.

“Working with the group to develop coaching plans has been great. I have also really enjoyed coaching with Hibs over the last few weeks and would love to keep doing it” –Blake

The team working with Blake have found him to be great member of the group, helpful, engaging and deserving of this opportunity.

“Blake has been an excellent part of the group, always willing to contribute. It is clear to see that football is his passion and he is taking practical steps to fulfil his potential. It’s been refreshing to see him show the initiative to give up his evenings to coach the younger generation and make strides towards his own goals. He is clearly focussed on this career path and if maintains this momentum, I am sure he will succeed.” –Ross Young, Employability Intervention Officer

If you would like to find out more about the School College Partnership programme, please visit https://www.edubuzz.org/eastlothianworks/wp-content/blogs.dir/2289/files/2021/04/2021-SCP-Course-Prospectus.pdf

Scottish Apprenticeship Week: An Interview with a Foundation Apprentice

As you may have seen, this week is Scottish Apprenticeship Week #ScotAppWeek20, led by Skills Development Scotland. This campaign aims to highlight the fact that there’s no limit to where an apprenticeship can take you; it creates talent without limits!

Today I sat down with Stefanie, a Foundation Apprenticeship student in Scientific Technologies, to ask her a couple of questions.

Continue reading Scottish Apprenticeship Week: An Interview with a Foundation Apprentice →

Scottish Apprenticeship Week: An Interview with a Modern Apprentice

As you may have seen, this week is Scottish Apprenticeship Week #ScotAppWeek20, led by Skills Development Scotland. This campaign aims to highlight the fact that there’s no limit to where an apprenticeship can take you; it creates talent without limits!

Today I sat down with Annabel, a Modern Apprentice in Business and Admin in the East Lothian Council Human Resources department, to as her a couple of questions.

What did you do before your Modern Apprenticeship?
When I left school I knew that I really wanted to go to Australia for a while because I have family that stay over there, so I worked part-time after school in a café to save up as much as I could. Once I was in Australia I wasn’t really sure what I was going to be doing when I came home, so I had a look online and I saw that there was a Modern Apprenticeship with the Council, and it seemed like a really good opportunity. Even if there is no job at the end, it can really help set you up for a job later on.

Why did you decide to do a Modern Apprenticeship?
In school I studied Admin and Business at Higher, which I enjoyed, and since it had been such a long time since I had been in school, I thought this apprenticeship might help jog my memory a bit! It’s also a really good qualification to have along with Higher Business and Higher Admin.

Why did you choose Business and Admin specifically?
Business at school really appealed to me because that’s where my head is at. Some people have a brain that all about maths, mine is all about business!

How did you find the apprenticeship at the beginning?
I thought it was going to be really stressful trying to balance learning and the job. When I first started the previous Modern Apprentice was just about to leave, so I had a crash course! It was overwhelming at first, but everyone is so helpful. I thought it was going to be stressful but it’s actually not and I really enjoy working here.

Is it hard to juggle the work and the learning together?
Sometimes yes, because when it gets to stressful points in the year when there are lots of deadlines it can be difficult to set time aside. But everyone I work with is so helpful and if I have work that needs done they’ll make sure I have time to do it.

Was HR something you were interested in going into?
I was actually just assigned the Human Resources department but actually I’m really glad I was!

Do you know what you want to do when you’ve finished your Modern Apprenticeship?
I’ve only got two modules left to go so I’ll be done around April-time. I had a meeting with my Manager the other day and we’re both really keen for me to get a job in the Council, or in HR more so, because I really enjoy the job I do.

What are the positives of doing a Modern Apprenticeship?
The qualification. And the support they give you. My boss has already told me that she’ll help me do mock interviews and help me apply for jobs, which will help me a lot.

What are the hard parts about doing a Modern Apprenticeship in Business and Admin?
It’s a lot of work. I would say that you have to be that way inclined. It’s a lot of written work and it’s very evidence-based, so you have to be motivated for a lot of written work.

Would you recommend a Modern Apprenticeship to other people?
Yes I would. It’s a really good starting point, so if you’re unsure about going to university and you aren’t sure what else you want to do, then a Modern Apprenticeship is a good choice, as it’s not as much pressure.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to Annabel for taking the time out of her busy schedule to talk to me and discuss the Modern Apprenticeship programme. I wish her all the best in her future endeavours after April!

If you’d like to find out more about Scottish Apprenticeship Week, please take a look at the #ScotAppWeek20 hash tag on Twitter. If you’d like to find out more about Modern Apprenticeships, check out the link below:

https://www.apprenticeships.scot/become-an-apprentice/modern-apprenticeships/

Keep up to date with East Lothian Works:
Twitter – twitter.com/EL_Works
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Staff Spotlight: Emma Lacey

Today’s Staff Spotlight is a little different; we are speaking to Emma Lacey, Business Support and Communications Officer for the Regional Developing the Young Workforce Team. ‘East Lothian Works’ work closely with Developing the Young Workforce (DYW), and therefore our Staff Spotlight series seemed like a great way to highlight all the hard work they do.

Continue reading Staff Spotlight: Emma Lacey →

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 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