September 2021
AVS Partners with YMCA Downslink Group to Employ Local Disadvantaged Young People
We're excited to announce a new partnership with local charity YMCA Downslink Group, offering a phased pathway to employment and potentially full-time jobs to disadvantaged young people in Sussex and Surrey.
YMCA Downslink Group is a local charity that works to prevent youth homelessness across Sussex and Surrey. Every night, they provide accommodation to more than 750 young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Through their youth advice centres, community and school counselling services, family mediation and other youth focused services, they also provide additional support to 10,000 children, young people and families each year.
The initiative is being trialled at AVS Worthing, where a group of young people from YMCA were recently invited to the first phase of the programme, an Open Day at the branch. The relaxed, informal day aimed to gently introduce them to the AVS working environment, from the office to our bespoke carpentry workshop.
From this initial group, two people have been invited to move forward to a fully paid one week trial, comprising supervised training and guided learning at the branch (AVS is a Living Wage Employer). The team from YMCA are also working with our staff, educating them in how to best work with and inspire the teens who may have had challenging backgrounds or lack social skills or self-confidence.
After a review of the first week, the participants will then be offered a further three-week trial, leading on to a two-month probation period if successful. The ultimate goal is to offer full-time employment with AVS after this three-month phased programme.
Ciaran Morton, Group Marketing Director at AVS commented "All of our branches have an annual budget to support local charities, however when YMCA Downslink Group approached us we saw the potential to do something more involved than donating goods or cash. YMCA Downslink do fantastic work guiding disadvantaged teenagers into fulfilling employment, who may have a lack of confidence, distrust or insecurity.
By providing this structured pathway to employment at AVS we can offer an introduction to a range of skills including office work, customer service, teamwork, even carpentry skills in our bespoke workshop. This programme is designed to teach and certify transferrable skills which will provide a lifelong benefit in the job market.”
After the Worthing trial has been completed it is hoped to extend the initiative to further branches of AVS throughout Sussex and Surrey during 2022.
