A young apprentice joiner made redundant half way through the second year of his apprenticeship has found a new job thanks to the efforts of Kingdom Housing Association.
Twenty-one year old Dean Muir, from Kelty, was facing a bleak Christmas after losing his job with a multi-national firm but now he has plenty to celebrate after landing an apprenticeship with Campion Homes, one of Kingdom Housing Association’s main contractors.
After losing his job, Dean was helped by the Opportunities Fife Employer Programme, a partnership between Fife Council and Kingdom Housing Association’s Fife Works Project.
They approached Campion Homes who readily agreed to employ Dean, allowing him to continue with his apprenticeship.
A delighted Dean said, “I’m so pleased that I have been given the chance to complete my apprenticeship with Campion. It was a real blow when I got made redundant — I didn’t know what help there was to support me. But now I am really happy — it is the best Christmas present ever. I wasn’t unemployed for long before I got a new position. It has been a big relief.”
Funding support, to allow Dean to continue his training, was offered through the Fife Youth Jobs Contract, Skills Development Scotland’s Adopt an Apprentice grant and Construction Industry Training Board grants, lowering the financial impact for Campion.
Michael McGuigan, the Construction Industry Training Board’s Apprenticeship Officer for Fife said, “It is great that there are still employers willing to recruit apprentices into the industry, even better when they support those who have been affected by redundancy. The financial assistance available in Fife makes it easier for employers as well as buying into in Community Benefits agenda.”
As part of its Affordable Housing Programme, Kingdom incorporates various community benefits into its contracts and employment and training opportunities are facilitated by Kingdom’s employability project in partnership with Fife Council.
Campion Homes has been consistently supportive providing a range of work experience placements for unemployed individuals and school projects.
Bill Banks, Kingdom’s Chief Executive said “When we develop new capital projects it provides an opportunity to address much more than just the provision of good quality affordable housing. Through our wider role activities, we can incorporate other initiatives into our Developments. This is an example of how we have been able to provide added value in terms of education, skills development and training, as part of our commitment to Community Benefits.”
Dougie Herd, Campion Homes Construction Director, added, “We are delighted to work again in Partnership with Fife Works to enable Dean to complete his apprenticeship. It is essential that continued training and apprenticeships are available, and the initiatives available through the wider role will assist greatly in meeting the industries future requirements.