Charity is building for the future
New apprentices at the Ground Floor Project, Hebden Bridge. Tom McAspurn (back) Jason Roberts (left) and Andrew Pickering (right).
A LOCAL charity has said it is leading the way for others after adding three new apprentices to its ranks.
The Ground Floor Project, Hebden Bridge, has taken on Tom McAspurn, Jason Roberts and Andrew Pickering for a year, and elected trustee Les Siddall said he was hopeful other companies would follow suit.
Mr Siddall said: “I am delighted to take these three guys on. We are going through a particularly tough time at Ground Floor at the moment due to the cuts in funding, but I think we have got three of the best young lads in Calderdale and I look forward to working with them.”
Funding for one of the apprentices has come from Calderdale Council’s Transition Fund, but the other two will be paid for by Dot Communications - one of the charities that operates out of Ground Floor, which is based at the Salem Centre on Central Street. After eight weeks Ground Floor can also apply for some Central Government funding, which would allow the apprenticeships to be extended from 12 to 18 months.
Tom McAspurn, who volunteered at Ground Floor before he was taken on as an apprentice, said: “It’s a little bit of money but the main thing is you get the skills you need to be employed. So many employers are asking for experience, so if you don’t have experience you can’t get a job. This is an IT apprenticeship, so I’m hoping to get the skills required to work in that industry.”
Peter Manning, General Manager at the charity, said: “What we’re trying to achieve with apprenticeships is to make sure the kids of the region get a future.
“I did an apprenticeship a long time ago and it stood me in good stead.
“These are all good guys, who have volunteered here in the past, and I’d like to see them make good lives for themselves and not be thrown onto the scrapheap like so many others.”
The apprentices will spend time working at all the different businesses that operate under the umbrella of the Ground Floor Project.
For more information, visit www.groundfloor.org.uk.
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Wednesday 19 June 2013
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