North Liverpool Regeneration Company’s training scheme has started to yield results as two of their apprentices have managed to secure full-time employment.
Community based training organisation NLRCO has collaborated with Merepark to train young people who are out of education or work on building projects around Liverpool.
The scheme, endorsed by Liverpool City Council, has seen two apprentices continue with Merepark and a further four stay on with contractors linked to Merepark.Liverpool City Councillor Nick Small told JMU Journalism: “We worked with NRLCO who have a proven track record with NEET [people not in education, employment or training] and we used our links together with Merepark to give young people opportunities.
“We aim to get people into employment at a young age so that they are less likely to be unemployed in the long-term future.
“We focus on people from a variety of different backgrounds, from those at level two with only five GCSES to those at level five with an honours degree.”
Most of the work that the scheme does is in Liverpool City Centre with a key example being the work on Lewis’s, where the apprentices have been helping with construction on the former department store.
Councillor Small said: “We tried to focus on construction projects that we know are happening at the moment and we try to get young people involved on these projects. Several local apprentices have been employed by contractors and we are aiming to roll the scheme across the city.
“It shows how the project has been successful as our former apprentices are now employed. The aim is to get more people to complete the apprenticeship and get them into sustained employment.”