Wick woman one of nine people in Highland to get paid placement to help employment chances

A YOUNG Wick woman is one of nine people in the Highlands to get a placement as part of a local authority scheme to help their employment opportunities.

Isla Farquhar has started her paid placement at Wick Youth Club and is delighted to be part of the project which is being offered by Highland Council for the first time. Its Employability Service is offering Paid Third Sector Placements to unemployed residents. Funded by the Scottish Government through the No One Left Behind policy, the initiative provides six-month paid work experience placements hosted by charities and non-for-profit organisations.

So far, nine people have been recruited and will gain valuable work skills and training while earning money. Trainees are supported by a workplace mentor who provides supervision and guidance in the workplace, helping them to improve their employability skills to boost their CV. At the end of the placement, host organisations are encouraged to help their recruits to find a job, whether within their own team or elsewhere.

The recruits are young people with no or little work experience, unemployed parents or long-term unemployed individuals, who will benefit from the placements as a stepping stone to get into or return to sustainable employment. Highland Council hopes many more will be recruited to the scheme.

Isla, who started her placement in October, said: "The placement helps with my confidence in a workspace. It also gives me experience working with children as well as any training for the future."

Julie Mackinnon, who manages Wick Youth Club and has applied for two paid placements, said: "Having someone on a six-month paid placement not only benefits the client but also us as a charity. We run a very busy after school club which gives work experience to anyone who wishes to progress in a career to do with children's or youth work. A paid placement allows us to give Isla the experience she needs and us the benefit of another staff member, which we are very grateful for."

Councillor Ken Gowans, the chairman of council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee, said: "I am delighted that our Employability Service is able to offer these opportunities to support our out-of-work residents to progress towards and into employment. Creating and supporting new work opportunities is a key priority for the council as it contributes to growing our economy and combatting poverty in our communities."

He added: "I wish everyone who is currently on a placement all the very best with their new careers and I encourage anyone looking for a placement to gain valuable paid work experience to reach out to our team for employability support."

A local authority spokesman said the paid placements also give the opportunity to third-sector organisations to hire staff and get support which may not have been possisble in the present economic situation.

"We are currently looking for charities and non-for-profit organisations willing to host Paid Third Sector Placements for parents, " he said.

For more information about the Paid Third Sector Placements or to ask about employability support, contact the council's employability team at: employability@highland.gov.uk

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