Gill Jardine, senior customer service leader for Forth Valley Jobcentres, acknowledged Link’s commitment to the Kickstart scheme when she visited Link Academy in Falkirk.

She presented Sarah Smith, Link’s group director of communities, Grant Alexander, Link’s head of community wellbeing, and Nicky Paton, Link’s head of practice and participation, with a certificate during her visit last month.

Sarah Smith said: “We are delighted to receive recognition for our role in supporting Kickstart. We are proud that so many young people across Scotland have boosted their employment skills due to their placement at Link.

“It has been hugely pleasing to see the feedback from our supervisors who have been uniformly impressed with the young people taking part in Kickstart. Many of whom have possessed a ‘can do’ attitude and have fitted in straight away to busy areas of our business.

“It is so rewarding giving young people the opportunity to develop their skills in the world of work and then seeing them forge ahead in their chosen careers. It has also been great for colleagues across Link to work alongside and support younger people who are just starting out in their careers.”

Kickstart is a scheme funded by the DWP to support young people with real-life work experiences, in a paid environment, along with training and guidance over six months. Link has participated in Kickstart since 2020.

Trainee receptionist, quality assurance administrative assistant, trainee PSL lease admin assistant, and communications assistant are just some of the roles taken on by young people participating in Kickstart at Link.

Out of the 56 young people who took part in Kickstart over the last 18 months, 36% achieved full-time employment following completion of the training; 27% undertook part-time employment, and seven per cent embarked on full-time or part-time education.