Scottish Minister Celebrates Hillcrest's Commitment To The Young Persons Guarantee

DYW Tay Cities attended the Minister's visit to Hillcrest Homes Dundee on Monday the 23rd of January to celebrate their Young Persons' Guarantee commitment. Hillcrest has committed to the Young Person’s Guarantee and pledged to invest in a skilled workforce through preparing young people for the world of work and creating opportunities for those who face the most significant barriers. Minister for Higher Education, Further Education, Youth Employment and Training Jamie Hepburn MSP, was able to meet and interact with the group of apprentices who work in a number of areas including IT, finance, maintenance, human resources and administration in Hillcrest Homes workforce. Mr. Hepburn had the opportunity to hear from the apprentices about their journey so far and learn more about the future plans to develop the Young Person’s Guarantee. Mr Hepburn commented “It has been hugely encouraging to hear how the young people at Hillcrest are being given immense support in their roles". Lesley Don, Hillcrest director of corporate services added “Young people are the future of businesses like ours and we need to do as much as we can to create an inclusive workplace that promotes opportunities for them to explore and succeed on their chosen paths.  “Over the last year, we have successfully recruited 10 new apprentices across our business, 30 school students have had work experience placements and three career ready students completed a four week internship. We have recruited a dedicated Apprenticeship Development Officer to ensure that we are delivering opportunities that meet the needs of young people and support them to be successful and experience positive outcomes.” The Young Person’s Guarantee is a commitment to bring together employers, partners and young people. It aims to connect every 16 to 24 year old in Scotland to an opportunity. This could be a job, apprenticeship, further or higher education, training or volunteering. More than 500 Scottish employers have signed up to the Young Person’s Guarantee since it was launched.