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Debbie Rutherford on Graham’s initiative to help young people in Scotland into construction.
Debbie Rutherford
Graham has agreed a partnership with Street League – the UK’s leading ‘sport for employment’ charity, which targets sports to engage with young people, as well as teach them the key life and work skills they need to move into sustainable employment.
The two organisations have worked together to establish construction skills academies, giving young people employability support such as career advice, CV writing and interview skills – alongside construction sector specific insights.
This partnership enables young people who access Street League’s services to get motivated and informed about career pathways in the construction industry. Each participant is given assistance by Street League to receive a CSCS card upon completion.
Work placements and the promotion of skills has always been an extremely important part of Graham’s overall vision for Scotland and we plan to create those opportunities. We will also be fundraising for Street League throughout the year as well as linking its supply chain partners with the organisation’s modern apprenticeship offer, enabling young people working for those partners to gain an SVQ in business administration.
As a company, we believe it is vital that the younger generation are educated on the various routes to employment available to them and receive encouragement and support along the way.
Graham is a member of the 5% Club, made up of companies committed to ensuring that at least 5% of their workforce over the next five years is comprised of young people on structured learning schemes. Our collaboration with Street League felt like the perfect opportunity to build on this further.
Street League’s vision is to see an end to youth unemployment in the UK. It tackles poverty, using sport to help young people who need it most get into sustainable education, training and job opportunities. It has a national team, working in 36 local communities across Scotland and England. In the year ahead Street League plans to support over 1,600 young people into jobs, education or training.
Debbie Rutherford is social impact manager at Graham
