Sovereign Housing Association is offering 40 young people the chance to kickstart their careers with a six-month paid work placement in departments across the organisation.

The housing association which has houses in Oxfordshire will be giving the paid training roles will to under-25s currently on Universal Credit.

Sovereign will offer a comprehensive support package for each young person who joins the scheme, including IT kit, laptop and phone, a Kickstart work buddy, and a dedicated Kickstart employment officer among other measures.

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Corinna Grace, head of learning development at sovereign, said: “In the quarter August – October the unemployment rate for young people was nearly three times as high as it was for adults. And by July, just under one in three first-time Universal Credit claimants was under 25, up from one in five in March. Young people have been hit hard by this pandemic.

“That’s why we’re taking decisive action to prevent them from getting left behind, offering a wide range of opportunities. Each ‘Kickstarter’ that joins us will have gained the skills and experience they need to secure a permanent role when their six months with us ends.”

Each placement is for 25 hours per week, for six months, and pays minimum wage. Opportunities on offer include work with the Sovereign’s Communities team, in recruitment, in housing for older people, marketing and communications, customer experience, administration and sustainability and development.

The scheme will open for applications in spring.

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