Vicky Cook pictured with Beth Llewellyn
Caerphilly County Borough Council’s innovative PASSPORT Programme has given another young person an opportunity to gain new skills and find employment.
Vicky Cook, who is 20 and from Aberbargoed, found work at local business Beth’s Bow-tique in July 2013 and has not looked back since. Beth’s Bow-tique is owned by Beth Llewellyn and first opened in Ystrad Mynach in early July 2013. The shop sells unique, high quality children’s clothes, including hand made tutu dresses, at reasonable prices and has been a hit in its current location. The business received a Caerphilly Business Start-up Grant from Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Business Enterprise Support Team, and this year due to the success of the Ystrad Mynach shop, owner Beth is expanding and opening a new shop in Blackwood, which will be managed by Vicky.
Vicky was previously in full time education studying Childcare Level 3 before discovering at an employment fair how the PASSPORT Programme could help her. In the eight months since she started working as a sales assistant at the shop, Vicky has had a variety of duties, including maintaining the shop floor and stock taking, all of which, she says, have helped her gain skills that will benefit her throughout her life. She has also been sent on valuable training through the PASSPORT Programme that she may not otherwise have had access to. Vicky feels that her job at Beth’s Bow-tique has also helped her develop one key thing: her confidence. She says: “I have gained so many skills working with Beth but the main one is my confidence and how much it has grown. Beth always supported me and this helped my confidence grow from strength to strength.”
Vicky is set to become the new manager of the Blackwood branch of Beth’s Bow-tique, opening this month, and is looking forward to the opportunity provided to her by the Passport Scheme: “In the future I see myself continuing to work at Beth’s Bow-tique, managing the Blackwood shop and helping new employees develop the same skills that I have.”
Beth, Vicky’s manager, is also pleased with her progress throughout her eight months on the PASSPORT Programme. She says: “Vicky has been a fantastic hard worker from day one. I have watched her confidence grow day by day and have every confidence that she is ready for the huge challenge of becoming shop manager at our new store in Blackwood. She has gained many skills and is never afraid to try something new.”
Both Beth and Vicky feel that the Passport Scheme is very worthwhile and a great opportunity for younger people to help them find employment, particularly in areas that they had not previously considered. As a busy working mum, Beth says that she has found Vicky’s help to be invaluable; commenting that “this is all thanks to the PASSPORT Programme”. Vicky added to this, praising the scheme for providing her with a promising career for the future and saying that she would recommend PASSPORT to other young people.
Cllr Christine Forehead, Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for HR & Governance, said: “Once again, this is a great example of the PASSPORT programme providing training and opportunities for young people to better themselves and help further their ambitions. Congratulations to Vicky on her exciting appointment at Beth’s Bow-tique, we wish her and the new shop every success.”
The PASSPORT Programme has been developed by the Caerphilly Local Service Board and has received £372,000 funding through Welsh Government’s Local Service Board initiative backed by European Social Fund. The programme’s aim is to help young people aged 16-24 to find work and gain experience and skills that will be valuable to them in their future career. The Council and Job Centre Plus have also provided funding to the Programme and it is hoped this in turn will reduce the number of people aged 16-24 claiming Job Seekers Allowance.
To find out more about the Passport Programme go to
www.caerphilly.gov.uk or contact 01443 866752.
