An innovative scheme aimed at giving unemployed people vital experience has led to 10 individuals being awarded long-term placements by London developer St George at its Battersea Reach development in Wandsworth.
As part of its commitment to the local area, St george joined forces with sustainability management business Kotuku CIC and recycling company Powerday to form the Kotuku Environmental Labour Project (KELP), which to date has trained over 40 young unemployed Londoners for work opportunities in construction and waste management, with 70% gaining full-time jobs as a result.
Michael Bryn-Jones, managing director of St george South London, said: "we are committed to providing opportunities for local peopleon our sites and to helping you people and jobseekers gain valuable insight into the construction industry, giving them a head-start in their chosen careers. We've been impressed by the quality of candidates and look forward to expanding our involvement with KELP to help even more local people.
Through practical training and career guidance, KELP empowers local young adults without employments, education or work skills by preparing them for a career in a relevant field." Andrew Pears, Kotuku's managing director, said: "A lack of experience and the short-term nature of many basic work positions give little incentive to come off benefits, creating huge problemds fo the youth of today. KELP is designed to address these issues and help more young people into the workforce.
This would not be possible without the support of the Powerday and St George, which makes their training definitely stand out." Battersea Reach is a mixed-use development on the site of a former distillery and oil depot comprising 1,350 homes, 330 of which will be affordable, as well as 200,000sq ft of commercial floor space.