Big visit in Stride by Jim Knight MP

On the 20th November we have been visited by Jim Knight MP See below what DWP have written about us:

GREAT STRIDES IN LEICESTER FOR FIRST FUTURE JOBS FOR YOUNGSTERS

Employment and Welfare Reform Minister Jim Knight MP today (20 November) visited award winning social enterprise Stride to meet some of the first young people in the East Midlands to benefit from the national £1 billion Future Jobs Fund.

More than 3,600 jobs have been pledged so far across the East Midlands to help young people and those in unemployment hotspots get jobs. Over a thousand of these new opportunities will be in Leicester city and county.

The minister met previously unemployed 18-24 year olds who have now found work through the Future Jobs Fund including Scott Dainton (21) of Fleckney, working for Stride as a brickwork technician and Marija Ilic (20) from Leicester working in Stride’s furniture warehouse in administration.

Jim Knight Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform said: “The young people I met today like Marija and Scott just wanted a chance to prove they can work and it's great that they've got that opportunity by getting a job at Stride through the Future Jobs Fund.”

“No one can afford to overlook young people’s talent and the Future Jobs Fund is part of this Government’s commitment to young people to get a job, training place, skills and work experience.”

Stride have pledged 78 jobs in Leicester under the Future Jobs Fund which is an important part of the Government’s ‘Backing Young Britain Campaign’ to help young unemployed people get a job, training and work skills.

David Brazier Chief Executive of Stride in Leicester added: “The Future Jobs Fund has enabled us to create new jobs to help us expand our business and at the same time unlock the workplace potential of young people.”

‘Backing Young Britain’ is a call to businesses and other organisations to make a commitment to support young people in at least one of the following ways:

· work with a partnership to bid for one of the 100,000 jobs for young people from the Future Jobs Fund;

· offer a volunteering place or a volunteer mentor for school or university leavers;

· provide work experience places to help young people learn about work, make contacts and fill their CV;

· consider a young person for a job through a work trial;

· offer an internship for a graduate;

· provide an apprenticeship for 16-24 year olds;

· join a Local Employment Partnership to make sure job vacancies are advertised to local unemployed people.

Stride Future Jobs Fund Case Studies:

Marija Ilic

Twenty year old Marija Ilic from Leicester really loves her job with Stride. Following her A Levels she struggled to find a work feeling that her age and lack of work experience was against her.

Speaking about the time she was unemployed Marija said: “It felt horrible to be out of work. If you’ve not got a job you’ve not got a social life because there’s nothing to talk about. Being unemployed really started to get me down and I lost my confidence.”

Things turned around for Marija last month when her Jobcentre Adviser told her about a Future Jobs Fund vacancy with Stride. Marija quickly landed a job with them as an administrator in their furniture department. And when she started work the Jobcentre helped fund smart work clothes.

Marija’s job involves coding stock, sorting deliveries out, completing paperwork and dealing with customers over the telephone. Marija said: “I love my job at Stride, everyone is absolutely lovely and I’m learning so many new skills. It’s easy to look at a job and say I can do that, but it’s only by doing a job you really learn what employers want.

“Now I’m working I feel I can get on with my life. I’ve got my confidence back and my family are really pleased that I’m happy and moving forward. The best thing for me is being given a chance.”

Scott Dainton

Twenty one year old Scott from Fleckney, near Market Harborough in Leicestershire hated being out of work and has found the job with Stride has been life changing. He had previously worked at a Leicestershire shooting ground but when he was laid off he soon realised how much he missed work.

Scott said: “It’s made such a big difference to me be working again. It’s great being part of a team and I really look forward to coming to work everyday.”

Scott’s new job as a brickwork technician involves preparing and cleaning tools, mixing mortar and supporting the two supervisors delivering construction training to other young people aged 14-18 at the brickworks site.

Mark Bailey the brickworks supervisor said: “Scott’s role is invaluable to me and the rest of the team. He’s hard working and the young people on our course look up to him as a role model. We wouldn’t be without him and the skills he’s brought to us.”