Students get in the driving seat with Vospers
A group of 12 Plymouth students got to spend the day with staff at one of Plymouth’s biggest motor dealerships, Vospers. The family run business spent time helping the students learn all about the motor industry as part of city’s Skills Aid Plymouth scheme.
Skills Aid Plymouth (SAP) was launched earlier this year to give some of Plymouth’s young people extra support. The students got to have a go at designing posters for the launch of a new vehicle giving them a great introduction to the Vospers Sales and Marketing teams.
SAP is a joint project between Plymouth City Council and Plymouth’s Rotary Clubs, which have provided the majority of the volunteer mentors working on the scheme. It is designed to help pupils understand and gain important employability skills which will improve their chances in an increasingly competitive job market and broaden their career options. Each young person has been assigned a personal mentor who has accompanied them on the series of twelve business led visits hosted by local organisations.
The SAP scheme currently involves three city-schools including All Saints Church of England Academy Plymouth, Marine Academy Plymouth and Sir John Hunt Community Sports College. Young people likely to benefit most from the scheme had their names put forward by their schools.
Councillor Sue McDonald, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Public Health said: “Skills Aid Plymouth aims to target young people in need of a little extra guidance and support to ensure they stay on the right track and achieve in life. It’s a real cooperative venture involving key partners - the three schools involved, Plymouth’s Rotary Clubs and local thriving businesses.”
Nick Vosper, Managing Director said: “Here at Vospers we understand the importance of being part of our community, and this event not only allows Vospers to showcase what we can offer as a future employer, but we have been impressed by both the innovation and imaginative ideas that were showcased by these young people.
“Vospers already support a wide range of apprenticeship opportunities around the group each year, although this was the first year we have held the Skills Aid event, and we look forward to supporting similar events going forward, and hope to welcome more students to Vospers in the future.”
To kick off the SAP scheme, the first group of 12 and 13 year olds met with their new mentors at a launch event in March at Plymouth Argyle. This was followed by a visit to Centrica in April, the National Marine Aquarium in May, Babcock International in June, Shelterbox in July, Theatre Royal Plymouth in September, Plymouth Community Homes in October and Dartmoor Zoo in November.
