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Olasubomi in the Inspire office

Youth Talent participant joins the Inspire! team

Olasubomi in the Inspire officeThe Youth Talent Programme has made an impact in its first year by successfully supporting local young people into full-time employment and apprenticeships.  

Inspire! are delivering Youth Talent as part of a wider London ESF Youth Programme, which aims to address the needs of young people aged 16-24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).  

Beginning in January 2017, we have supported 14 young people to gain confidence in the job seeking process.  Four young people have since begun apprenticeships, two have started traineeships and three have entered full-time employment, with one participant gaining a job at Inspire!’s own offices.  

21 year old Olasubomi was struggling to find the job she wanted after completing a law foundation course. She made an effort to gain experience by volunteering at Citizen’s Advice Bureau and signed up to a recruitment agency.  However, she felt frustrated by the infrequent, short-term opportunities they provided and was eager to gain a full time position.

She visited her local youth centre in search of support and was put in touch with Hackney Works, Hackney Council’s employment service who recommended Inspire!. Olasubomi signed up to Youth Talent, and was introduced to Sam, a Senior Programme Manager who acted as her job coach. Sam supported her through the job seeking process by helping her to produce a strong CV, tailor applications to job specifications, and practice for interviews.

During her visits to Inspire!, Olasubomi heard about a job opening for an administration role at the charity. Using the new skills she had gained, she independently filled out an application for the role and had a successful interview. She has since joined Inspire! as an Administration Officer, supporting each team and helping the office to run smoothly. 

With the support of Youth Talent, Olasubomi’s hard work and perseverance paid off: “I was happy to have gotten a job and I felt blessed. I felt honoured that I got a job with the company that introduced me to Youth Talent. Is that luck or what?”  

On her experience at Inspire! so far, Olasubomi said: “Working for Inspire has been great! It’s good to work in a nice environment with friendly colleagues, and somewhere that’s passionate about helping young people.” What advice would she give to another young person in the same position? “Make sure you find a ‘Ways Into Work’ programme in your local borough, because they always deliver. It can be hard work, however you just have to be persistent and never give up!”

To find out more about the Youth Talent programme, or to refer a young person living in Hackney, Camden or Islington,  view our flyer or get in touch with Programme Manager Dot.

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