A New year and New Start.

Following the obligatory January 1^st hangover, consideration of the year ahead is likely to induce some feeling of apprehension for even the most sorted of individuals. For those currently out of employment, particularly those who are young and at the beginning of their careers, the future can seem both bleak and daunting.

A recent survey reported that the rate of unemployment among 18-24 year olds has jumped from 12% to more than 17% within the last year. Figures like this have prompted the government to take action. First announced in the 2009 Budget, the Future Jobs Fund (FJF) is a fund of around £1 billion aimed at tackling rising unemployment by creating jobs for long time unemployed young people. From early 2010, anyone between the ages of 18-24 who has been out of work for more than six months will receive an offer of a job, work experience, or training for a period of at least six months.

It is through the FJF that I have been able to start a six-month placement at Novas Scarman Group (NSG), a social charity that works locally throughout England and Wales to create new opportunities for disadvantaged individuals and communities. I’ll be working under Stuart Ball, director of operations for NSG as a trainee administrator and will be responsible for managing Stuart’s dairy, arranging meetings and completing other general administrative tasks.

Prior to joining NSG I had been out of work for quite a long period of time and was finding it increasingly difficult to find any kind of job let alone one in my desired area. It was through the Jobcentre plus that I was referred to FJF and subsequently NSG. So far working for NSG has been fulfilling and extremely beneficial, I had little experience of working with office excel and office outlook which may have hindered me when previously sending out applications for clerical and administrative positions. Now I feel confident working with these programs and believe that what is so good about FJF is that it offers experience, training and a wage to those starting out with little or no experience and in an area of work that they are interested in.

Holly Inch, 24