Hundreds of young people have been recognised for their role in helping make South Ayrshire Council a great place to work. The local authority has been officially recognised with the Investors in Young People (IIYP) Gold Award.
[Pictured: IIYP chief executive Peter Russian, presents the Gold Award to Craig Currie, Nicola Deans, Caroline Hainey, and South Ayrshire Council chief executive, Eileen Howat.]
Developed by Investors in People Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Government, the Gold Award for Good Practice recognises the work underway across the Council to create employment opportunities for young people; help maximise young people's potential; and help ensure a bright and positive future.
South Ayrshire Council currently employs more than 300 young people under the age of 25 across a wide range of services including homecare, property maintenance, community development and education. Many come through employability programmes such as Modern Apprenticeships, or Graduate Internships, while some are newly qualified teachers. A special ceremony was held at County Hall to mark their contribution on Tuesday 22 March, which was attended by many of the young people involved in the accreditation process.
South Ayrshire Council chief executive Eileen Howat said: “Achieving the Gold Standard Award would not have been possible without the contribution of all the young people who took part and gave such positive feedback. Winning this award is a big deal for the Council because it recognises that the way we go about our business is making a real difference to the prospects of young people.
“By focusing on creating opportunities we aim to support our young people to develop their careers with the Council, and in recent years we’ve seen so many new recruits coming to us with positive, enthusiastic attitudes, and doing really well in a relatively short space of time.
“I’m confident that in providing opportunities to train, learn and work with the Council, we are not only creating a lasting legacy that will benefit our communities and our economy, but the Council is also benefitting from the contribution that these young people make to our services now and by helping us to ensure we develop a workforce for the future.”
Investors in People Scotland chief executive Peter Russian said: “The work being carried out is of a high standard. The best way to judge a place is to ask people about their experience, and when we came to South Ayrshire and spoke to young workers face-to-face, their enthusiasm was plain to see.
“It’s important that new recruits are given the chance to take on responsibilities and to develop their confidence, and that’s exactly what’s happening at South Ayrshire.
“We were impressed by the huge range of activity underway. The apprentice scheme in Property Maintenance and the excellent programme to train and develop green keepers in the golf team are of a particularly high standard. We look forward to seeing the progress achieved in the years ahead.”
South Ayrshire Council is a Founder Member of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle.
