Street League, the national charity which uses football to tackle youth unemployment, has announced an official partnership with Jewson across Scotland.
The builders’ merchant has pledged to support the charity by providing work placements for up to 100 young people from Street League Academies across Scotland over the next 12 months. The partnership was officially launched at an event in Glasgow on Friday.
Street League uses the power of football to attract unemployed people aged 16 to 24 onto its award-winning Academy programme. On the Academy, participants develop key employability skills, such as communication and teamwork, and acquire nationally-recognised qualifications. They also learn to build their CVs and undergo mock interviews — as well as playing football every day!
As part of the programme, participants also join real employers for work experience placements, which last between four and eight weeks, in order to prepare them for the world of work.
Dougie Stevenson, Managing Director for Street League Scotland, said: “We are proud to be launching this partnership across Scotland with such an important employer.
“Working at Jewson stores gives our young people a fabulous opportunity to hone the skills they have acquired on the Street League Academy, build their CVs and become attractive employees to other employers. We’re also delighted that some of the graduates have also gone on to work for Jewson on a permanent basis.”
Allan Davidson, Regional Director at Jewson, said: “With nearly half a million 16-24 year olds in the UK currently without employment, initiatives such as Street League are fundamental in ensuring that young people gain the skills and workplace experience they need. To be able to offer a route to employment through something as accessible as sport is fantastic and we hope even more businesses get involved.”
