At The Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS), we have recently taken on our fourth and final cohort of Kickstart employees. Kickstart is a Department for Work and Pensions programme which supports young people, aged between 16 and 24 who are at risk of long-term unemployment, to gain skills within employment.
In total, we have employed 19 young people in a range of roles, working within projects such as Marketing, Share Shacks and Community Delivery. During their placements, we support the Kickstarters to gain experience which will help them find lasting and meaningful employment.
One of the members of the first cohort was Afrah, who joined as a Project Support within the Knowledge and Insight department in May 2021. After this, she secured a role supporting the Marketing and Research teams and is still working with us now.
Afrah explained that she found it hard to find a job after graduating from university.
“I volunteered at The Children’s Society, supporting children and young people with low level mental health conditions. Before starting the Kickstart placement at TAWS in 2021, I began to search for employment. However, due to Covid-19 this seemed almost impossible.”
She also said that she was looking for a job which she would find fulfilling. ‘I have always enjoyed participating in tasks that had purpose, something that I’ll look back on and feel a sense of fulfilment, and the kickstart program at TAWS did just that.’
Afrah has thoroughly enjoyed being part of TAWS and said she particularly liked the up-beat atmosphere within the Knowledge and Insight team. She said that “having a very supportive team who shared the same vision and is dedicated to a successful outcome created a family environment where everybody is there for each other.”
During their placements, the Kickstarters are supported to gain new skills and explore their interests. We hold internal career fairs, which provide an insight into working within different teams, such as, Research, Finance and Marketing. While on her placement, Afrah found she was interested in working within Marketing and Research, so began building up skills within this area.
Her manager, Evie, the Senior Insight Analyst, reflected that
“It’s been great seeing Afrah progress from her time as a Kickstarter, primarily working with the data team, to now doing more varied work around Marketing, Stories and Research as a full-time member of staff. Afrah’s can-do attitude has been vital in providing support to the Marketing team and allowing the team to be more efficient. Throughout her time here, Afrah has shown a keen willingness to understand all parts of the organisation, as well learn new skills and tools, which has seen her become a valuable member within Knowledge & Insight.”
Read more about our Kickstarters’ experiences on the Stories page. Or visit our jobs board to find out about our current opportunities.
