Agents connect young people to world of work

One customer services centre has hosted an employability workshop to help young people sell themselves to prospective employers.

A group of students from the local Farringdon Academy and a group of Whizz Kidz ambassadors took part in a special employability workshop at EDF Energy’s Doxford customer services centre as part of a programme that helps to connect young people with the world of work.

The group took part in a range of workshop sessions to give them an insight into the sort of things employers expect from candidates and how they can increase their chance of success when applying for a new post.

Included in the day-long event was advice on creating a good CV, interviewing techniques and team exercises, as well as details about the different sort of challenges, career opportunities and career paths available at large employers.

“It was an absolute delight to meet the local school pupils and the ambassadors from Whizz-Kidz, building relationships and creating an environment where everyone can learn together,” said Diane Shires, EDF Energy’s Project Lead for Work Experience programmes. “We really enjoyed their enthusiasm and hope that the employability skills that they learnt at the workshop will be useful in their career paths or applications for university or college.”

Established in 1990, Whizz-Kidz is a national charity which provides disabled young people with the essential wheelchairs and other mobility equipment they need to lead fun and active lives.

The organisation runs a work placement programme, enabling young people to gain essential work experience within a variety of organisations and works with businesses to deliver confidence-building life skills workshops.

“The Whizz-Kidz EDF Energy employability workshop was brilliant and gave a really interesting insight into working for the company, which has a strong commitment to making the workplace accessible,” said Katie Toulmin, Work Placements Coordinator – North, at Whizz-Kidz. “By providing first hand knowledge of the world of work, the experience will help to build the confidence of all those who participated and help them to make important decisions about their future work opportunities.”