1. FOOTBALL was a way for
David Martin to fill his days
when he found himself at a
loose end after leaving
school.
Now the Glasgow teenager
has been given the opportunity
to kick-start a whole new
career thanks to Street League.
The charity are helping to
tackle youth unemployment
across Scotland through the
power of the football.
Young people who take part
in their programme spend a
couple of hours on the pitch
each day before working on
developing their employability
skills.
David, 18, said: “I was
planning on going to
college and then one of
my friends told me about
Street League. I’d just finished
school at the time and, to be
honest, I wasn’t even sure what
I wanted to do at college.
“I was looking for something
to keep me occupied during
the day, instead of just lying
about.
“Street League sounded fun.
There was football and
physical activity, as well as the
possibility of getting a job at
the end of it.
“I think the idea of football
each day helps to draw
people in.
“A lot of young people aren’t
keen on studying and,
although Street League does
involve some studying and
working on certain skills, I
think a lot of people prefer
Street League to going to
college.
“I know that was definitely
the case for me.”
Street League work with
16 to 24-year-olds who aren’t
in employment, education or
training.
Their intensive Academy
programme allows young folk
to work on communication
and team-work skills, and
acquire nationally recognised
qualifications.
There’s also help with
writing the perfect CV and
mock interviews with real
companies to boost chances of
gaining employment.
After joining the programme
last June, David secured a work
placement with ironmongers
George Boyd –
part of the Jewson
group – who
partner with
Street League.
The youngster, from
Baillieston, has now been
offered a modern
apprenticeship and says he
may have just found a
potential new career.
David added: “I had no clue
about ironmongery coming
into this job, so I’ve just been
learning all the different
aspects of the job.
“I work on the back door
booking deliveries in and I’ve
also been doing a bit of
locksmithing.
“I’m happy working here so
the plan is to see how I get on
with this company.
“It’s a brilliant place to work
and everybody here is great.
“I just have to keep my head
down for the first year and, if it
all works out well, I’ll hopefully
be taken on full-time.
“I’m definitely more
responsible and my
time-keeping is better.
“When I was younger and
didn’t have to be at school, I
would get into that stupid
routine of lying about that a lot
of young people do.
“Going to Street League, and
getting a job, has helped me to
become far more organised.
“It can be really difficult to
find a job these days so my
family are also really happy I’ve
managed to get one.”
Itwasthekick-start
Ineededtogetajob
AFTER being bullied at school, Craig’s
confidence and self-esteem were at an
all-time low. Having left school at the age of
15, he had no idea what his future held or
what he wanted to do with his life. But he
literally had a few tricks up his sleeve when
he arrived for his first day at Street League.
Craig revealed he was an amateur
magician and his tricks proved to be the
perfect icebreaker. The 16-year-old went on
to secure an interview for a van/warehouse
person with a local furniture recycling
company – and impressed so much they
offered him an admin/sales job instead.
NORTH AYRSHIRE
CRAIG FLEMING
STREET League are using
the power of football to
help achieve their goal of
tackling youth
unemployment, with
more than a thousand
young Scots moved into
work, education and
training last year.
The charity’s Academy
programme – which
combines playing the sport
with improving
employability skills – has
proved to be a winning
formula for young people
across Scotland.
Street League are now
one of the largest national
employability providers in
Scotland, operating across
11 local authorities, with 52
front-line staff organised
across 21 delivery teams.
Vocational-themed
programmes are also on
offer in various fields,
including hospitality,
construction and retail.
And the charity deliver
activity and employability
schemes in 33 Scottish
secondary schools.
Dougie Stevenson,
managing director of
Street League in Scotland,
said: “Last year was an
incredible one and saw
1009 unemployed young
Scots moved into work,
and 930 SQA-accredited
qualifications achieved.
“The work and
commitment of our staff,
stakeholders and company
partners has been central
to this achievement.”
The charity’s efforts
were recognised recently
when they were awarded a
£350,000 cash injection
from the People’s
Postcode Lottery.
Many of their graduates
go on to benefit from work
placements with industry
partners – including
construction giants
Jewson – which often lead
to modern apprenticeships
or full-time employment.
More than 70 per cent of
Street League graduates
move into employment,
education or training.
And there are plans to
move into new Scottish
locations, and build on the
number of jobs,
apprenticeships and
qualifications achieved.
AS A fan of health and fitness, Dylan’s
dream was to become a personal trainer.
But, having failed with a previous college
application and been unemployed for
three months, his confidence was low.
Through Street League, he was able to
improve his communication, teamwork
and leadership skills, as well as enjoying
the sporting element of the Academy.
Dylan, 19, has since been accepted on
to a sport and fitness course at Glasgow
Kelvin College and he also works part-time
with Securitas to support himself
financially.
WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE
DYLAN McVEY
FINDING out he was going to be a dad finally
gave Inverclyde teenager Jack the push he
needed to find a job. He had initially
struggled to gain employment after
completing the Street League programme.
A hectic lifestyle and family issues meant he
failed to make the most of their aftercare
service.
But discovering he was going to have a
family of his own changed all that. With the
help of Street League, Jack, 18, secured a
modern apprenticeship with EE as a
customer service assistant and he is loving
the experience.
INVERCLYDE
JACK GRAHAM
GLASGOW DAVID MARTIN
EAST AYRSHIRE
CALLUM WALLACE
CALLUM grew up in a deprived area and left
school without any qualifications or work
experience. But what the 16-year-old didn’t
lack was the motivation to earn a crust. He
joined Street League’s programme, hoping
to pick up the skills that would boost his job
prospects.
Not only did he improve his skill-set, the
shy teenager also bolstered his confidence.
He’s now landed a full-time job with Stobbs
Bakery as a trainee baker and hopes he can
rise to the challenge and carve out a
successful career in the industry.
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