Work experience at Sandwell Council for jobless
Hundreds of unemployed people in Sandwell are being given three-month work experience placements with Sandwell Council under a major new scheme to help young people gain experience of different careers.
The authority is believed to be the first in the country to offer such placements.
The council has got all departments signed up to offer a total of 300 placements for those aged between 16 and 24.
Traditionally work experience placements at the council have been for people of school age, and only last a maximum of two weeks.
At the launch Sandwell Council's deputy leader and cabinet member for service improvement Councillor Mahboob Hussain and council chief executive Jan Britton signed a pledge committing the authority to providing high quality work experience placements.
Councillor Mahboob Hussain said: "A large number of young people have struggled to find work and may have spent a long time unemployed.
"This scheme is to help them gain experience, not only of different careers, but also of being in the workplace.
"Even if it is just getting up on time, and sticking to working full time hours it will be beneficial."
The placements will be in careers such as construction and engineering, architecture, planning and communications.
The longer placements will be in addition to the shorter ones already offered.
Application forms will be put online for the positions next month and all will be considered before the successful 300 applicants are chosen.
Organiser of the scheme Phil Challinor, from council's HR department, said: "During these placements the young people will not just gain the work experience, they will be offered advice and help on careers options which are available to them."
Samuel Harvey and Danny Gillard both aged 15, spoke at the launch event at the Council House of their work experience placements in the council's architecture departments.
Danny who is a Sandwell Academy pupil, from Tipton said: "I was given a whole range of things to do from working on the computers, going out on site and in the end I was able to do some sketching and was helping them out on the designs."
Wodensborough Community Technology College pupil, Samuel from Wednesbury added: "I really enjoyed it, and it has made me want to work hard, and get my A-levels in order to become an architect."
