When the Government announced a new scheme that would support young people into work after the devastating impact of the pandemic, we knew that we wanted to help. We have an employment advice team dedicated to getting people back on their feet in times of difficulty, and Kickstart was a great way to give opportunities to young people who needed a fresh start in a new industry.
We offered seven six-month placements across our organisation, in a wide range of teams with a wide range of responsibilities. In addition to this, our friends at Access Training East Midlands delivered training to our Kickstarters, and they’ve all been earning a wage while learning new skills and developing their interest in the world of housing.
For Jake, a Kickstarter in our business change team, the scheme has been an opportunity to build his skills and learn about a new sector.
“It seemed like a great role to get a lot of insight into the business and to learn about how both this and other business worked while developing my skills.”
Having seen into all areas of the business as part of his Kickstart placement, Jake knew that he’d be interested in different roles at Futures after working with us – and has now moved into a role in our customer services team.
Mia took an administrative role as part of her Kickstart placement, and it’s really helped her to develop her skills and awareness of what’s involved in this area of business. While she’s not sure exactly what her next step will be, she’s got a better understanding of what’s involved in administration and it’s helped her to shape her goals for the future.
“This placement has definitely helped me decide what career I would like to pursue!”
Tom, one of our earlier Kickstarters, has now moved on into a role in our finance team following his successful placement. Originally attracted to Futures as an employer because of our recent IIP Platinum award, he identified skills he wanted to work on and enjoyed doing this from home and while earning a wage.
“I think a lot of my office based skills have improved from the experience. While my communication has also vastly improved from when I first started, I believe this is something I can continue to work on after my placement.”
At Futures we’re really proud of our Kickstarters and the progress they’ve made since joining us. They’ve shown great initiative and willingness to get stuck in, working hard to get the most out of their placements so they can use their new skills in their next adventures – whether that’s with Futures or beyond.
