Jobs and internships at young people's project

Swindon-based social enterprise The Platform Project is recruiting.

The organisation is extending its support for young people aged 13 to 21, many of whom are struggling to find work or take their next steps in life, and needs more personnel. 

The project, based in Dorcan, has received funding to help more young people who have been disadvantaged by their circumstances, or by the pandemic, to boost their career prospects and find work. 

It is widely recognised that while the post-covid employment situation will hit hard for many, it may create a so-called ‘Covid Generation’ of  young people, with rates of youth unemployment predicted by some analysts to triple and exceed the levels seen in the early 1980s.

This additional funding support has allowed the project to expand dramatically over the last year, and during 2021, it aims to support an additional 100 young people – with plans for further expansion in the near future. 

Founder Sadie Sharp said: “We’ve secured funding to offer more support during this time and also we’ve been able to reach out to schools to support them too. Some young people are already disadvantaged because they have not performed well in mainstream education, or their social circumstances have not allowed them to thrive when it comes to career choices, and now their options are even more limited. 

“With the devastating effect of the pandemic these young people are finding it even harder to transition into work and take their next steps in life, which can have a much longer lasting impact on mental health and future unemployment challenges. We are trying to scale up as fast as possible to make sure we can do our bit to address the increasing need!”

Sadie and the project’s Board of Directors are looking to recruit for two part-time paid roles of 16 hours per week - for a trainer who is experienced in working with young people and a partnerships manager who will engage with local firms and freelancers to broker short work experience/shadowing opportunities and skills swap initiatives. 

The team are also about to launch a recruitment drive for six Kickstarter roles for young people aged 16-24 who will work for six months for 26 hours a week in various areas of the business, including administration, IT, marketing, sales, youth work and videography. 

These entry level roles would be ideal for young people looking to secure a paid role to boost their early career whilst supporting intensive support and development to help them move onwards and upwards when the 6 month placement ends.

Sadie said: “This growth has enabled the project to expand our innovative youth enterprise model to offer more young people places on our internship programme. Young people aged 16-21 can do up to six months' voluntary work experience within the project, rotating around different roles including a youth magazine and a digital media marketing agency. 

"The practical, hands-on experiences help build CVs and employability skills whilst providing the opportunity to try out different career roles before being paired up with a mentor to help broker their next steps opportunities like finding work or starting their own business.”

To fund this activity, the project has been given support from the National Lottery, Children In Need, the Wiltshire Community Foundation, the Social Enterprise Support Fund and the John Lewis Partnership among other organisations. 

More information can be found at www.platformproject.co.uk/internships and the project can be contacted via [email protected] for vacancy details and application forms.