Meet the Council's latest graduate recruits

Date: 
Monday, 13 October, 2014

East Dunbartonshire Council is continuing to set a positive example to other employers by handing five young people from the area a much-deserved first chance in their careers.

The Council launched the Grad+ programme in March, which offers six month's paid work placement opportunities to unemployed or underemployed graduates in the area. The first phase of the programme was such a success that a further five graduates have now been recruited, taking up work placements in Employability and People Development, Social Work, Procurement, Environmental Health and Assets and Estates. As well as receiving six month’s experience and employability skills support in a work area which relates to their qualifications, each young person will be paid the living wage.

Council Leader Rhondda Geekie was delighted to welcome the new recruits to the Council. She said, “The first phase of Grad+ was highly successful with four out of five who participated in the programme going on to find new jobs and traineeship places on the back of the valuable experience they gained in their time with the Council.

"The programme continues to go from strength-to-strength with the recruitment of a further five graduates, who have all struggled to get jobs in their chosen areas since graduating from university. I am very proud that we as a Council are giving them this helping hand onto the first rung of their careers, with a high-quality, six-month training and work experience programme.

"The graduates have been matched to departments and services that relate directly to their qualifications and chosen career paths, where they will receive relevant work experience in their chosen fields. They will also have access to an active and extended support network of line managers, assigned mentors, trainers and employability and learning specialists.

 “The aim across the board is to improve their opportunities for finding future, permanent jobs through a comprehensive work-based learning process.The Council, as the largest employer in the area, is leading by example and we would encourage other employers to also look at developing employability opportunities for local young people.”

Louise Bickerton, from Bishopbriggs, graduated in Sociology at Glasgow University earlier this year and has taken up a work placement in Employability and People Development.

She said, "I had been looking and applying for jobs in the learning and development and youth work field for a couple of months but I felt that I didn't have enough experience that employers were looking for.

"When I saw the Grad+ programme advertised I immediately knew it would be the perfect stepping stone for me to gain that experience."

The Grad+ programme builds on the Council's Modern Apprentices programme which has seen 19 young people join the Council to take up training and employment opportunities in construction crafts and the Early Years’ Service.

Further information on these programmes is available by calling the Council’s Employability and People Development Team on 0300 123 4510.

Follow us on Twitter @EDCouncil or like us on Facebook facebook.com/edunbartonshirecouncil

Date:  Monday 13 October 2014