Neil Braidwood speaks to Maureen Merrick and Dougie Wemyss, two members of standard-setting youth employment charity, Working Rite.
Finding reliable, motivated, new talent is one of the biggest obstacles facing the Scottish painting and decorating sector today. While traditional apprenticeship routes work well for some, many capable young people lack the qualifications or the family support systems needed to get a foot in the door. At the same time, small-to-medium firms often lack the resources, or confidence, to risk taking on an unproven 16 year old.
Working Rite, a youth employment charity, has been quietly helping young people get into long-term employment for more than 20 years. Working across four local authority areas in Scotland, the organisation puts young people’s aspirations first. Construction is just one of the sectors in which the organisation places young people.
Supporting around 300 young people aged between 16 and 25 every year, the charity has perfected a three-stage formula that ensures success for both trainee and employer.
Maureen Merrick, Operations Manager (West), who has been with the charity for more than 13 years, explains: “Firstly, we have our Choices programme, where we work with young people in their final year of school. These people have completely disengaged with any kind of academic pathway and are looking for alternatives.
“Secondly, there is our Chances programme, which is a 20-week employability and work placement. In those first six weeks, we need to build trust with the young person and get them ready for work. Then we find them a 14-week work placement. Depending on the needs of the young person, the initial six weeks could be extended.
“Lastly, there is the Connection stage. Once that young person transitions into a placement or full-time employment, we pair them with a volunteer mentor for a full year, to help them navigate any challenges they encounter along the way.
“Painting and decorating has generally been one of the easier trades to place young people in,” notes Maureen. “It provides immediate, tangible rewards for hands-on, motivated young people who are eager to work but need someone to give them a break.”
The charity knows that hiring a 16-year-old can be a daunting prospect for some small businesses, so, throughout the Chances stage, it subsidises the placement.
“We pay the young person £55 per week,” explains Maureen. “The employer is expected to match this as a minimum, so that helps keep costs low.
“We also fund the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card, so that from day one, the young person is fully qualified and safety certified. In addition, any PPE is paid for so that the employer is not out of pocket.”
Brogan’s story
One young woman who came to Working Rite was Brogan. At the age of 20, she had a strong desire to break into the painting and decorating trade.
After securing her CSCS card and completing her initial training, Dougie Wemyss, Project Coordinator (North West) at Working Rite, began searching for a potential employer to place her with.
“One of our partners is the Whiteinch and Scotstoun Housing Association,” explains Dougie. “We tapped into the sub-contractors that work with them on maintenance and came up with JS Harvey, a well-established painting and decorating firm.
“The company had never hired a woman before. Consequently, the owner, Grant Gibson, was anxious that the company may have to make adjustments to working practices, such as having to provide separate toilet facilities.
“I went back to Brogan and she was determined to make it work, saying: ‘I’ll use the same loo as everyone else. I just want to be treated as part of the team.’”
Dougie makes sure that he is in constant contact with each young person in his programme, texting them in the morning to check they are up and wishing them a good day.
“Sometimes the young people don’t have the support of the family, so Dougie is on call to help with anything that is going on in their life,” says Maureen.
“I was in touch with Brogan on an almost daily basis, and I spoke to the employer every week, just to see how things were going. We had face-to-face reviews every three weeks,” says Dougie.
“At the end of the placement, Brogan was offered an apprenticeship with the company, so it was a real success story.”
During Brogan’s 14-week placement, she was offered accommodation, so Working Rite was also helping behind the scenes to ensure that Brogan was able to have everything she needed to make the move to her own flat.
Maureen and Dougie stress that support is not unlimited, but if they are able to help a young person while they are on the programme, then they will. They also understand their boundaries, as many of the young people have social workers, so they do not want to become too involved.
Brogan’s placement resulted in her being offered an apprenticeship. Very few young people drop out of the programme, but it can happen for one reason or another. Working Rite can find other placements, and it can take as long as it takes, within reason. In some cases, the charity will signpost the young person to other areas for help, such as support with mental health.
Full-circle success
Working Rite operates as an SQA-approved centre, delivering three distinct qualifications while sharing its expertise with community partners like Delivering Real Change youth project (DRC) based in Yoker. They have also established an eight-member Youth Committee to ensure the ‘youth voice’ directly shapes how the charity evolves.
The ultimate goal for the charity is full-circle success. Maureen and Dougie have already seen former joiner apprentices climb the ladder, launch their own businesses and return to the charity to hire their own trainees.
With Glasgow funding secured for the year ahead, and new funding streams like Glasgow City Council’s Glasgow Futures
opening doors for employers to access wage support for paying the Real Living Wage, the charity is looking to expand its base to Dundee.
Get involved
For decorating firms across Scotland, partnering with this programme is a win-win. You will gain access to enthusiastic, vetted, CSCS-certified young people who actively want to be in the trade, backed by a dedicated support team that handles the emotional and logistical heavy lifting.
If you are a contractor looking to give a motivated young person a chance while building a sustainable workforce for your business, get in touch with this standard-setting youth employment charity.
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