PRESS RELEASE: Interns & apprentices start work

PRESS RELEASE

FUTUREVERSITY INTERNS & APPRENTICES START WORK:

Youth charity’s new programme with Barclays Capital helps unemployed young people

Youth charity Futureversity has received an amazing response to its Apprentice and Internship Programme, which is funded by Barclays Capital. Over 200 applications were received and, so far, two interns and five apprentices have been recruited and have just started work in the Futureversity office in Tower Hamlets. More will be recruited over the coming months.

Futureversity offers hundreds of free courses and opportunities for 11-25 year olds throughout the year, which enables young people to develop themselves, build their confidence and become more employable. The programmes have been proven to transform lives. The latest figures from its award-winning Job Ready Programme show that 61 per cent of the unemployed young people who enrol on the programme are in employment or training within six months of completing it.

Barclays Capital has collaborated with Futureversity for nearly 10 years, providing much-needed funding, plus courses and mentoring schemes. The Apprenticeship and Internship Programme has been set up between the charity and the investment bank to address the current gloomy employment prospects for young people. Recent reports from the Department of Work and Pensions revealed a sharp rise in the number of 16 to 24-year-olds out of work and statistics show that the number of young people unemployed in Tower Hamlets is the highest in London.

Each of the new recruits at Futureversity will receive excellent training and work experience. They will also be mentored by a member of staff Barclays Capital. The apprenticeships, which run for a year, allow school leavers with drive and talent to build their skills and confidence in a real workplace. Jason Lynch, 21, from east London, has just been recruited as the Digital Media Apprentice at Futureversity. He said: ‘The Futureversity office is an extremely friendly environment to work in and I’m very pleased to be doing my apprenticeship here. I’ve been unemployed for just over 12 months, so it feels great to finally be working and developing my skills in a productive workplace.’

The six month internships are for graduates and will enable them to apply the knowledge they gained at university while overcoming the bind of ‘no work without experience’. Mohammed Miah, 25, also from east London, has just taken on the new role of Finance Intern. He said: ‘Everyone has been very welcoming and I’m already settling in and feel like part of the team. After finishing my degree in Finance and completing six months of work, I found myself unemployed for 10 months which was devastating. This internship is so important to me because it makes me more employable and enhances my CV.’

Futureversity Apprenticeships, Internships & Volunteering Coordinator, Matt Dronfield, said: ‘We are so excited to be welcoming these interns and apprentices into the office. Thanks to funding from Barclays Capital, we have been able to provide crucial work experience for seven young Londoners and look forward to recruiting more over the coming months. We feel it is so important in the current economic climate that young people are invested in and given real opportunities like this.’

Wendy Lloyd, Head of Community Investment at Barclays Capital, said: 'We are delighted to build on our longstanding partnership with Futureversity and to further contribute to increasing the skills and employment prospects of young people in the local area. In addition, our members of staff have the opportunity of working with the apprentices and interns through mentoring and training sessions.'