12/18/2009

Young job hunters celebrate merry Christmas

Shepherds Bush Housing Group (SBHG) is helping young unemployed people have a merry Christmas, some after more than a year of job hunting.

Over the next 18 months, SBHG’s furniture re-use charity Furnish will be employing 21 young people, all previously long-term unemployed.

Jason Morley (aged 20), James Brompton (aged 20) and Jamie Wortley (aged 19) have already started work. Jason has never worked before. James Brompton and Jamie Wortley have worked before but were made redundant.

Jason said: “I’m looking forward to working and learning new skills. It’ll be really good not being at home all day and having to go to the job centre.”

All three are being employed by Furnish through the Government’s Future Jobs Fund. Over the next 18 months 21 people will work for Furnish on six month placements.

Natasha Taglietti (aged 19) has also started an 18 month apprentice as an assistant administrator including NVQ study. Her role is funded by Hammersmith and Fulham’s Council for Voluntary Services organisation.

Furnish, based at White City, collects unwanted furniture and redistributes it to families in need. In the past year Furnish collected 170 tonnes of furniture, made 1,537 collections of donated furniture and delivered to over 800 homes.

Furnish manager Mark Hardy said: “We want to give these young people the skills they need to develop fulfilling, worthwhile careers. We are very locally based so it will be a chance for these people, who all live locally, to gain these skills within their own community. The skills and references this work can provide will really help them and at the same time they will be helping needy people throughout west London.”

For more details please contact
Hannah Stokes
Tel: 020 8996 4237
Email: hannah.stokes@sbhg.co.uk

Notes

• Furnish is a furniture re-use charity in west London that delivers furniture to families in need. It is part of Staying Put Services, the charitable arm of Shepherds Bush Housing Group.
• Pictured (left to right) is James Brompton, Jason Morley, Jamie Wortley and Natasha Taglietti.
• The Future Jobs Fund is a part of the Young Person’s Guarantee. From early 2010, everyone in between the ages of 18 and 24 who has been looking for work for six months will get an offer of a job, work experience, or training lasting at least 6 months.