Fire Minister Bob Neill has backed a new Prince's Trust scheme, which aims to help unemployed young people into jobs with support from the fire industry.

The youth charity is urging employers in the fire sector to offer work experience to young people who are struggling to find a job. The initiative aims to help disadvantaged young people break the cycle of unemployment at a time when more than a million are out of work.

The Fire Minster was speaking at an event in Parliament to launch the new scheme.

He said: "Fire and rescue authority partnerships with The Prince's Trust, with a focus on work experience, fit very well with the government agenda to tackle youth unemployment and the Youth Contract.

"Work experience can make all the difference in breaking the cycle of unemployment, helping thousands of young people into their first jobs. Fire and rescue partnerships with The Prince's Trust are a great example of communities coming together to help vulnerable young people to get back on track."

The Trust and the Fire and Rescue Service have a long history of working together to help disadvantaged young people into work, education or training, with the Service helping to deliver the charity's courses for more than 15,000 young people across the UK.

The Prince's Trust is now hoping to build on this success by enlisting the support of more businesses operating within the fire services sector.

Backed by the Fire Industry Association and the Fire and Rescue Suppliers Association, employers including Angus Fire and Tyco Fire and Security have already stepped forward to support the scheme.

Angus Fire was the first company in the industry to support the campaign. The company has already offered work experience to a young person - 22 year old Chris Hannaford - who had never had a job before joining a Prince's Trust scheme to help him turn his life around.

Chris said: "Before joining The Prince's Trust course, I felt as though as I was doing nothing with my life. I had no motivation - my life was at a standstill. I was applying for hundreds of jobs, but found myself being knocked back so many times because I didn't have any work experience.

"The Team programme, run by The Prince's Trust and Lancashire Fire and Rescue, changed my life. It helped me to secure work experience with Angus Fire, which was my first real experience of having a job, and it was amazing. Thanks to this support, I'm now doing an IT training course which will help me get a job."

The Trust will help 50,000 disadvantaged young people this year across the UK. Last year, three in four moved into jobs, education or training.

 

For more information on how to get involved in offering work placements or helping to run Prince's Trust programmes for unemployed young people, call George Martin, The Prince's Trust Fire and Rescue Service National Liaison Officer on 07900 268701 or email fireandrescue@princes-trust.org.uk 

   

Posted July 2nd, 2012 at 0845 by Andrew. Comment by emailing: andrew.lynch@pavpub.com