College scheme gets Donna back in business
19/05/2010
Donna in her new role at Central Sussex College
An eighteen year old from Crawley is one of the first to benefit from a new scheme aiming to get young unemployed people into work.
JobCentre Plus in Crawley recommended Donna Light, who had been unemployed for more than six months, for the College's Reach Out 'Routes into Work' programme, which is designed to build up the young people's employability skills in the sector in which they wish to gain employment in. Central Sussex College is participating in the scheme, aiming to get youngsters between 18 and 24 into the areas of Retail, Hospitality, Security, Construction and Care.
Central Sussex College has committed to employing 20 young people through the Future Job Fund, all of which will be referred from JobCentre Plus. The scheme allows an employer - in Donna's case, Central Sussex College - to offer a six month job placement, with a view to turning it into an apprenticeship position in the future.
During the Reach Out programme she was undertaking at the College, Donna applied to be considered for a Future Jobs Fund vacancy at Central Sussex College via Job Centre Plus. Following a successful interview she is now working in the College's faculty of Health and Community Learning.
Lisa Spiller, Donna's Advice and Guidance Adviser said: "Donna was advised to join the Reach Out programme during one of her visits to the Job Centre. She came into it with a very positive attitude, keen to do whatever she could to get skills, get a job and put herself through any further training she might need in order to get on. As a result she is one of the first on the scheme to find a work placement and her apprenticeship will be a real asset to her future career."
Donna feels that the Reach Out programme has had a great impact on her ability to gain employment. She said: "I really enjoyed the programme and found the interview techniques particularly helpful in boosting my confidence - the mock interview the morning of my real interview probably helped me secure my position at Central Sussex College!"
Donna's success has even inspired her brother to join the scheme.
If you know someone who could benefit from free help and advice in getting back to work, or you are an employer who could provide a work placement to a young person who has completed the Reach Out scheme, call the College's Employer Services team on 0845 155 0043 (press 4).
