24 September 2019
FirstPort has partnered with youth homelessness charity Centrepoint to provide on-the-job learning and interview skills to help young people who have experienced homelessness to find a job.
Residential property management company FirstPort has supported Centrepoint as a fundraising partner since October 2018. Now the company is also working with the charity’s training and employment programme, Centrepoint Works, to help young people become more employable.
Centrepoint Works helps young people to turn their lives around by gaining essential life skills and puts them on the path to lasting employment through apprenticeships, traineeships, support to obtain English and Maths qualifications, and other learning programmes designed specifically for people looking for work or to progress in their chosen career.
FirstPort will be providing its first placement traineeship at Lockes Wharf in east London in the safe hands of Robert Williams. Robert has been FirstPort’s Development Manager for five years and comes with a wealth of experience and skills to nurture and coach the new trainee.
Yvonne Pick, Operations Manager for Centrepoint Works South, said: “We are so pleased to be partnering with FirstPort to provide work placements for young people at Centrepoint. We work hard to equip and train young people for the world of work and placements are an excellent opportunity for them to put their learning into practice and increase their employability skills.”
Robert Williams added: “We’re so proud to be involved with Centrepoint and in particular their innovative ‘Introduction to work project’ which is very worthwhile, providing young people the opportunity to experience a work environment. I believe this is a great stepping stone to help young people into work, giving them a feeling of self-worth in order to lead full, enjoyable lives. The team and I at Lockes Wharf hope to give them an overview and training in a busy work environment boosting their confidence in the workplace helping them to move forward in their careers.”
L-R Robert Williams, Development Manager at Lockes Wharf, London; Yvonne Pick, Operations Manager for Centrepoint Works South; and Kwaku Kodua, Maintenance Operative
