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How a Welsh Government-Funded Recruitment Scheme Allowed Sgiliau to Build Their Business

Sut gwnaeth cynllun recriwtio a ariannwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru ganiatáu i Sgiliau adeiladu eu busnes.

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Sgiliau– meaning skills in Welsh – is a company that specialises in supporting young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training. The south Wales-based creative training provider is also passionate about the benefits of hiring young people for their own business, believing they provide fresh perspectives, ideas and importantly are a talent pipeline that future proofs their business.

A supporter of the Young Person’s Guarantee, Managing Director Lindsay Evans believes it’s important for businesses to invest in young people and is an advocate of accessing the available Welsh Government support to do so. Schemes that offer wage-subsidised recruitment of young people have been critical to their ability to offer young adults work experience and permanent positions with the company.

Sgiliau have recruited a number of young people using Welsh Government support – and have benefitted from free recruitment advice, access to candidates, ongoing training support, and a financial contribution to a recruit's salary – with four work experience placements converting to permanent employment with the organisation.

Lindsay said:  “The funding support to cover pay is a key benefit. It allows organisations to take a risk on creating roles and filling them with young people and gives those young people time to develop the skills they need to succeed in employment.”

Taking on raw recruits has also been an ideal way for Sgiliau to instil its culture. It has been able to train its young workers in its ethos of caring for young people and how it likes to do business.

“They’re blank canvases,” says Lindsay. “That’s important to us. They don’t come with baggage from working with another organisation. We have a particular way of doing things. We make sure that the individuals have the right ethos and care about the young people they are working with.”

Lindsay believes young people must be given a chance to enter employment. “If businesses don't consider giving young people a chance, they are going to struggle to fill positions. And young people have great potential and given the opportunity, they can blossom and grow into jobs.”

Recruiting through wage subsidy schemes and other training programmes means that Sgiliau is “quite a young company,” says Lindsay. “And we’re a different and better organisation because of that.”

If you’re interested in recruiting young people aged 16-18, Jobs Growth Wales+ might be a good fit. The new programme is a key part of the Welsh Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee, and offers employers wage subsidies and tailored support to help grow your workforce.

This includes Welsh Government paying up to 50% of each young person’s employment costs at the National Minimum Wage for the first six months.

You’ll also get free recruitment advice and ongoing training support from a designated contractor to ensure your young employee continues to develop their skills.

Visit Business Wales to find out more about Jobs Growth Wales+ and the programmes of support available to help with your recruitment and training needs.

Business News Wales