Pictured above: Steve Griffiths
Two young job seekers have moved into employment and are
pursuing their creative ambition after help from from the Future
Jobs Fund and Shropshire training provider County Training.
Lance Chase, 24, and Steve Griffiths, 19, from Shrewsbury were
both eager to find employment. Lance had been out of a job for a
year, struggling to find work after completing a BTEC in Music
Performance and a Master of Arts Degree in History. Steve, who had
previously worked as a Recreational Assistant, was also having
difficulty in finding sustainable employment.
Steve said "With very few interviews and no feedback from job
applications, I felt I really needed help in making those much
needed steps back into work. I began voluntary work at The Hive in
2009 helping to set up art exhibitions and working towards the Art
Award (silver) to help me gain further experience."
The Governments 'Future Jobs Fund' is part of the Backing Young
Britain campaign and was set up to help create jobs for those aged
18 - 24 who have been unemployed for over six months.Through the
scheme, businesses seeking to recruit are given financial
support enabling them to create new posts for this group of
unemployed young people.
Through the Future Jobs Fund initiative, County Training, part
of Shropshire Council, worked alongside The Hive to provide funding
for the first six months of employment. This has resulted in two
General Assistant job vacancies being created.
Lance and Steve both successfully applied for the full time
vacancies and started in February 2010. Their roles involve general
administration tasks, setting up equipment for gigs and playing a
support role in teaching music.
The Hive in Shrewsbury are a Music and Media Centre, providing a
platform for local talent, whilst encouraging the development for
young people in creative settings.
Lance commented "I was really keen to get into work after
completing my degree and was struggling to find an opportunity to
put into practice what I had studied. This initiative has enabled a
new job to be created which The Hive would otherwise have struggled
to fund. I'm really enjoying my role and its meant that not only
have I gained relevant employment, but am also able to apply my new
skills."
Paul Drage, Company Manager, from The Hive commented "We have
found the Future Jobs Fund initiative to be extremely beneficial to
our organisation. It as allowed us to create much needed vacancies,
which without the support provided, would not have been possible.
We are already seeing the benefits of the initiative, Steve and
Lance are a real asset to our team, bringing new skills and
qualifications to the table."
Councillor Stephen Charmley, Portfolio Holder for Culture and
Leisure, commented " Future Jobs Fund is a great initiative and has
already benefited lots of Shropshire businesses. I would urge those
interested in this scheme to contact County Training to find out
more."