Young people throughout Cumbria who require additional skills to prepare them for employment or further education are being offered work experience and training to help them progress.
Cumbria County Council, Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) and North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust (NCUH) are all working together to provide a Traineeship programme for 16-24 year olds in Cumbria.
The four month programme will provide trainees with work experience and structured training to help them develop the skills and experience employers are looking for. On completion they will be supported to apply for an apprenticeship within one of the three organisations.
The programme is aimed at young people who are not in work or education and have not yet gained a level three qualification but have the enthusiasm and drive to work towards an apprenticeship or job.
Natalie Gaston, Vocational Learning Facilitator at CPFT, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for young people in Cumbria who want to enter the work place or further education but don’t quite have the skills or experience they need. It’s great to be working together to provide such a wide range of opportunities and to know we’ll be helping people make the first step towards their future career.”
Work placements are available in a wide range of roles such as business administration, construction, commis chef, customer service, portering and care work. The skills development will include maths, English, IT, time management, wellbeing, interview preparation, customer service and team work.
Cllr Sue Sanderson, Cabinet Member for Schools and Learning at Cumbria County Council, added: “This is a great opportunity for a young person to get a ‘foot in the door’ with three of the largest employers in the county. The skills and experience they will gain will put them in an great position to progress to an apprenticeship or full-time employment.”
Scott Eccles, former trainee at Cumbria County Council said: “My traineeship was really useful for me. As well as training on customer service, maths and preparing for work I got practical experience with the fire and rescue service and Cumbria Outdoors. That helped build my confidence a lot and as a result I managed to get an apprenticeship at the council. I completed that and in June I applied for and got a full-time job with the council’s highways team. I’d definitely recommend it to other young people; it really worked for me.”
Applications close on 15 October and the traineeships will run from November to February. For more details or to apply visit www.cumbria.gov.uk/traineeships
