BUSINESSES in Malvern are being urged to offer high school pupils work experience in a bid to help them make the right choices for their future.
A campaign, led by Worcestershire County Council and the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, is underway to create 1,000 placements across the county and Malvern Hills District Council have backed the plan.
The council’s economic development team has already created an extra placement and more spots are expected to be created within other departments.
Coun Rebecca Massey, portfolio holder for economic development at MHDC, said: “With increasing pressure on schools it is difficult for them to find time to reach out to local businesses for help.
“These placements not only make a real difference to young people’s career prospects, but also provide employers with the chance to identify talented youngsters who may enter their own apprenticeship or graduate programmes in the near future.
“It is all about investing in our future workforce to support local business growth.”
The move is in response to concerns from business leaders about a lack of suitable skills among the ‘next generation’ of workers.
Simon Geraghty, county council cabinet member for economy, skills and infrastructure, added: “It is more important than ever to ensure young people understand what job roles will be available to them in the future, so they make the right choices while still in school.”
Businesses can register placement opportunities by visiting www.worcestershireskillscentral.co.uk or calling 01684 862151.
