Housing provider kickstarts young careers

A North East housing provider has launched its own Kickstart scheme to help young people enter the world of work.

Your Homes Newcastle (YHN) will officially launch the employment programme, which offers paid work placements to those aged 16-24, at NUCASTLE this Thursday (8 Sep). The organisation hopes the programme will build on the success of its participation in the Government’s Kickstarter scheme during the pandemic, which saw it provide 50 job opportunities to young people on Universal Credit (UC).

Unlike the Government’s Kickstarter programme, YHN’s bespoke Kickstart initiative will not solely be aimed at those claiming UC, making it more inclusive and allowing as many young people to benefit from the scheme.

A variety of jobs will be advertised as part of the initiative, with all successful candidates receiving a 6-month contract with the promise of a guaranteed interview upon conclusion with the team they’ve worked alongside.

The roles include data analysis in the newly formed Technology and Transformation team, administration, housing support assistants and various positions in YHN’s commercial services department, with more to be advertised over the coming weeks.

Tina Drury, group managing director at Your Homes Newcastle, said: “The response we received from the first Kickstarter programme was absolutely fantastic, so we were keen to explore how we could best replicate its success. Of the 61 people who benefited from the programme, a vast majority of them have gone on to be key members of their teams, be it working for Your Homes Newcastle or other organisations across the North East.

“Some of the young people that engaged were also among the furthest from the job market when they applied, so to see them get a foot on the career ladder, learn new skills and grow personally and professionally has been amazing.

“As well as impacting upon their lives, it has also had a hugely positive impact upon our communities and our organisation. It’s a real success for all involved and I’m already excited to hear some of the success stories from this year’s programme.”

Katie Dembry is one of the beneficiaries from last year’s Kickstarter programme, having since secured a full-time position as a People and Policy Officer at YHN.

Speaking about her experience, she said: “I was on one of the I Love Newcastle clean-up days where they clean up estates and litter pick and someone told me about the opportunity. Everyone was so approachable. Everyone I worked with was really nice, easy to get along with and the employability team are just so willing to go out of their way to help you.

“Even if you need help with writing your CV or preparing for your interview, they really go above and beyond to make sure you’re as best prepared as you can be. It has really helped me. Sometimes when you leave school or university you don’t know what to do but it was really helpful and helped me get into work during the pandemic.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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