Plan B Project’s

Who are traineeships for?
Traineeships is available for young people aged 16-24 and for young people with Learning Difficulty Assessments2 up to academic age 25 from August 2013.
The core target group for traineeships will be young people who:

• are not currently in a job and have little work experience, but who are focused on work or the prospect of it;
• are 16-19 and qualified below Level 3 or 19-24 and have not yet achieved a full Level 2
• Employers believe have a reasonable chance of being ready for employment or an apprenticeship within six months of engaging in a traineeship.

The issue
Some young people who are motivated and focused on employment, including Apprenticeships, are unable to successfully find work.
Employers consistently report that young people applying for vacancies often lack work related skills and attitudes which they need to secure and sustain employment.

Our Plan
To bridge the gap with the provision of traineeships as a progression route

• Our Plan B projects provides a structured opportunity for young people who are motivated by work to develop the skills and experience they need to be attractive to employers
• The traineeships helps young people to move into sustainable Apprenticeships or other jobs, reinvigorate the workforce, reduce the proportion of young people who are NEET and reduce youth unemployment.

What we offer
Work Placements with our partner employers for minimum 6 weeks to 5 months in:

• Fashion
• Fitness and Nutrition
• Office Administration
• Customer Service
• Child Care
• Health and Social Care

Benefits to the Trainee

• Personal and social skills development, for instance independent working.
• Team working activities.
• Tasters in one or more sectors.
• Impartial careers guidance, particularly focused on the local labour market
• A guaranteed interview with the work placement host at the end of the placement.
• A formal reference from the employer where the young person undertook their work placement, together with confirmation of any qualifications completed.
• Support for specific needs, for instance a disability.

What will traineeships provide?
Plan B offers three core elements for a traineeship programme:

• A focused period of work preparation training, covering areas like CV writing, interview preparation, job search and inter-personal skills.
• English and maths, as these are seen as crucial employability skills.
• A high quality work placement, to give the young person meaningful work experience and develop workplace skills.

How will traineeships be delivered and funded?
Fully funded by EFA and SFA, employers are not required to pay young people for the work placement under the traineeship. Traineeships fall under an exemption to the National Minimum Wage. Young people taking part in traineeships will be undertaking education and training and, where they qualify, will be able to access existing programmes of financial support including the 16-19 Bursary Fund and Discretionary Learner Support arrangements