One of the UK’s leading construction industry suppliers is helping young people build solid foundations for their future careers.

Jewson provided scores of work experience placements for young people in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire through charity Street League, which runs a football and employability training programme.

The young people completed the Certificate of Work Readiness, which gave them relevant work experience and a real qualification to show employers they are ready for the workplace. They were also given full health and safety training and interview experience delivered by Jewson employees.

Following the placements, Jewson recruited ten full time employees, including a Modern Apprentice. Now the company’s efforts have been recognised with Skills Development Scotland’s (SDS) Youth Employer of the Month Award.

Regional Human Resources Manager Adele Winfield said: “We’re honoured to receive the SDS Award for our partnership work in Scotland with Street League. At the end of the Certificate of Work Readiness programme there was such a high calibre of candidates who were work-ready and so determined to succeed that we wanted to recruit as many of them as we could them into our business.”

Adele added: “As a company, we’re determined to support young people into employment as this develops the sustainability of our business.

“The partnership with Street League has made real strides to encourage young people to think of Jewson as a place where they could have a long-term career.”

The company was nominated by SDS’s Employer Support Executive Sharita Guy who said: “Jewson’s support of young people and the Certificate of Work Readiness has given a number of young people a great start to their career.

“For the company to recruit some of those young people and offer an apprenticeship shows its very strong commitment to youth employment.”

Chairman of SDS, John F McClelland CBE, offered his congratulations and said: “The company tailored a programme for young people and used the Certificate of Work Readiness as a good recruitment and progress tool.

“Jewson’s efforts to help young people show they are ready to enter the world of work and take the first steps in their careers are to be commended.”