A YOUNG Greenock graduate is one of almost 30 people being helped into work locally through a new UK Government scheme.

Lucy MacDonald, 23, has landed a position with local property firm Bowman Rebecchi through the government's Kickstart scheme, which offers placements to young people.

The new positions have been established thanks to a partnership between the Department for Work and Pensions and Inverclyde Chamber of Commerce, which is acting as the main gateway organisation for local businesses to apply to join the scheme.

Lucy, who has a degree in international business management, is the first person appointed through the gateway and has been taken on as a marketing executive with the Gourock-based firm.

She said: “The Kickstart scheme has been fantastic for me.

"I’ve really enjoyed my first few weeks with Bowman Rebecchi.

“I’ve been given a lot of responsibility and the scheme came at just the right time to support my search for a new job, which proved to be very difficult during the pandemic.

“I’m hoping I can grow further into the role in the new few months and aiming to secure a longer term contract with the company.

“I’d highly recommend the Kickstart scheme to young people who are looking for an opportunity to enhance their skills and experience.”

The scheme is open to 16-24-year-olds in receipt of Universal Credit at high risk of unemployment.

All positions provide a minimum of 25 hours a week over a six-month placement period, providing applicants with a chance to gain solid work training and experience and set them up for roles in the future.

Further training helps the recruits with a wide range of important employment skills including teamwork, communications, training and help with CV-writing.

Marco Rebecchi, director of Bowman Rebecchi, said: "We understand how hard the pandemic has been for everyone, especially young people trying to get into work who have been the most affected by unemployment.

"Lucy has made a strong start with the business and the process to appoint her and receive the funding support has been very straightforward.

“We now have the approval to recruit another role via the Kickstart scheme to further supplement our growth plans and look forward to creating more employment opportunities for local people.”

Chamber of Commerce chief executive George McKay said: “Inverclyde Chamber has successfully worked in partnership with the DWP and local businesses to create almost 30 job opportunities for local people with Inverclyde companies.

”We continue to see a high level of interest in the scheme, and we would welcome any further companies to contact us to understand how Kickstart could further support their business.”

Eileen McClafferty, employer and partner manager in Inverclyde with the DWP, said: “The Kickstart scheme continues to grow in popularity, and we have several excellent candidates available for local businesses to employ.

“We’d invite all local businesses to take advantage of Kickstart to support future youth opportunities across Inverclyde.”

For further details on the scheme, visit https://inverclydechamber.co.uk/kickstart-ininverclyde

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Photo by Marc Bowker of One Big Picture Photography