Derby businesses join forces to help people back into work
Two businesses in Derby City Centre have joined forces to boost young people’s job prospects following an initiative led by the Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District (BID) and Business in the Community’s Healthy High Streets programme.
CT Skills, based in Friar Gate in the Cathedral Quarter, has placed two young people on traineeship programmes with M&S, which is a lead company in the Healthy High Streets programme.
CT Skills business training and recruitment adviser Vanessa Healey-Gwilliam said: “We are an active member of the Cathedral Quarter BID and were put in touch with M&S through the BID’s involvement with the Healthy High Streets programme, enabling us to discuss traineeship opportunities for young people aged 16 to 24.
“Traineeships are a Government flagship programme which break down the barriers to work by enabling young people to gain real work experience, build up their CVs and stand a much better chance of progressing onto paid employment or apprenticeships.
“They are a fantastic way to give young people opportunities to gain work experience and additional qualifications. Although the work experience is unpaid, we can help with travel and uniform costs.
“We are grateful for the positive contribution that M&S have made and hope to work with the Derby store in the future to provide work experience opportunities for more young people in the retail industry.”
One of the young people benefiting from the programme has been Sabbha Imtiaz (21) from Derby who is a former Sinfin Community School and Derby College student and has a 19-month-old daughter.
She said: “It is really difficult to find a job without having experience so this has been brilliant. This has been an amazing opportunity and I have loved working in the lingerie department at M&S.
“The staff and customers have been very friendly and I have learnt so much. I hope that this will open doors to me getting a retail job in the near future and hopefully at M&S.”
Katie Starbuck from the M&S store management team, concluded: “Sabbha has received excellent feedback from customers.
“At the end of the programme she was offered a short term fixed contract with the store. I am sure that this experience, and the excellent reference that she has received, will hold her in good stead for future job applications.
“This is a win-win situation for both the employer and young people of the traineeship programme. We are able to see what a young person has to offer and they are able to gain work experience that will hopefully open doors for them in the future.”
