A paid internship programme for care experienced young people

A paid internship programme for care experienced young people has been launched by Aberdeen City Council’s ABZWorks employability service.

Thirty young people in the city have expressed an interest in the 12-week placements, which are paid at Real Living Wage rate, with 10 underway so far.

Opportunities are being offered across the authority, in services including roads, early learning and childcare, environmental services, adult social care, admin, and of course ABZWorks.

The internships have been designed to gently introduce young people into the world of work. The first four weeks sees them working 16 hours per week, progressing to 20 hours per week in weeks five to nine, and then 30 hours for the final four weeks. Each young person is assigned a supportive manager and a buddy – and where possible the buddies are young people, including Kickstart interns who secured permanent roles at the Council.

Aiden Smith has joined the ABZWorks team as a social media intern. While Aiden’s career goal is to become a children’s social worker and make a difference to the lives of children and young people by providing the type of support he has received, he also has a keen interest in social media and is a TikTok master.

Aiden, 17, said: “As someone who has never worked, I found it really easy to transition into this job. It’s a lovely environment, I’ve been learning all about employability, developing social media material which has been published, and helping out at the latest ABZWorks jobs fair.

 

“I already feel like I know a lot more about work, about how I should be treated in a workplace, and confident about my future and being able to go to college, university, and then social work.”

ABZWorks has arranged for Aiden to meet some social work staff during his internship so that he can learn about social work roles, as well as the various routes into it.

 

The other young people who have secured placements in the Council will receive similar support and, as de facto employees, will be able to access application and interview skills training specifically targeted at Council roles, as well as the authority’s internal job opportunities.