Gwynedd Council is working with the environmental charity Groundwork North Wales to give local people a better opportunity in life.
The Council has taken on 15 young people for a period of six months work placement through Groundwork’s job creation programme, the Future Jobs Fund, which is aimed at giving them the right skills and confidence to make their way in the competitive job market. Those taking part have been given a taste of working in the Council’s tourism and marketing service, leisure centres, harbours and country parks.
Rhiannon Jones, from Caernarfon has secured a six month work placement with the Council’s Tourism, Marketing and Customer Care Service.
Mother of three Rhiannon had been staying at home to raise her family and is also near completing an Open University degree course. She had been looking for work for the last six months before starting the Groundwork scheme.
She said: “Every job I applied for said that I didn’t have the necessary experience. This scheme has been very good for me as it has given me that experience and I have learnt a lot about working in an office environment. It has been an important step back into work for me.
“I am really enjoying the work – I have been helping the department to carry our research work for the Welsh Assembly Bedstock survey, and I have been inputting information received from tourist information centre questionnaires.”
“I would recommend this scheme to anyone.”
Councillor Dewi Lewis, Gwynedd Council’s Economy and Community Portfolio holder, who is responsible for the Council’s commitment to the Groundwork scheme, said:
“Gwynedd Council is committed to ensuring that the local workforce is armed with relevant skills and training. We are confident that this scheme will mean that those taking part will have the right skill to help them get a full time job.
“These are tough economic times with several people chasing every post advertised so we are delighted to be able help people in this way and allow them to gain hands-on experience in the work place.
“This scheme shows what can be achieved by working in partnership. People who have been unemployed for lengthy spells often need something like this to boost their own confidence – to show themselves and others that they have the rights skills and abilities to work.”
Groundwork Wales is a national organisation which helps people help themselves by ensuring that they are equipped for the world of work. It does this by providing training opportunities, organising work experience and making sure that people who are struggling to get a foot on the career ladder have access to the right kind of support services.
Groundwork’s job creation programme has been made possible thanks to the Future Jobs Fund, a Department of Work and Pensions programme aimed at 18 to 24 year-olds who have been unemployed for 12 months or unemployed people living in areas of high unemployment.
Ieuan Davies, Employment Manager at Groundwork North Wales said: “Groundwork is committed to supporting young people to increase their employability skills and we have been delighted to work in partnership with Gwynedd Council to help young people change their lives for the better. Our job creation programme has been a great success and over the last six months we have created opportunities for over 200 people, placing them in jobs across Gwynedd and Anglesey.”
