Blog18 October 2018

Local teenager ‘loving’ work experience scheme following extension of Andrews Sykes’ partnership with CACT

Andrews Sykes have enjoyed a fantastic relationship with the Charlton Athletic Community Trust for quite some time and are delighted to announce the extension of our partnership for another two years.

The latest agreement sees us become an employability patron for the Trust going forward, providing us with an excellent opportunity to give something back to the community.

Jason Morgan MBE, CEO of the Charlton Trust, said: “CACT has had a long relationship with Andrews and we’ve been very grateful for their support on a number of events and projects over the years. We’re so pleased they have now come on board as a CACT Patron. The focus on employability is a great fit between CACT’s Education programme and Andrews’ ethos, and will make a real difference to the young people we work with.”

This arrangement will see us create opportunities for young people to undertake work placements at our Charlton depot, learn new skills in a variety of environments and receive interview training.

The first beneficiary of the scheme – Callum Wallace, from Woolwich – has undertaken a number of roles within the business during a placement spanning many weeks.

He said: “I enrolled on a programme with the Charlton Athletic Community Trust along, with other young people, and was then given the opportunity to gain some experience at a local company.”

“I’ve always wanted to be an engineer and that hasn’t changed. I’d say that my first taste of being in a workshop has actually made me even more determined to make it happen. I’m loving it.

“I’ve been working out in the yard, directing people on the forklifts, assisting the pump engineers and even got involved in some risk assessment stuff. But the thing I’ve enjoyed the most is stock-taking. It’s been my favourite thing so far, which I didn’t expect.

“Every day I come in and learn something new, which has been great for me. I like the fact that my day is structured.”

In recent years, Andrews Sykes have taken on permanent members of staff as a direct result of our association with CACT and it is likely that additional full-time roles will be available in future.

Mark Page, Southern Regional Director at Andrews Sykes, said: “At the recent CACT partners reception held at The Valley it was a privilege to hear from some of the young people who have been able to benefit from the great work carried out by CACT. Now as a CACT patron, we at Andrews Sykes are looking forward to being fully involved in the CACT Education programme.”

Dan Smith, Charlton Depot Manager, echoed Mark’s sentiments, saying: “Andrews Sykes’ Charlton team is very pleased to start a new adventure with CACT’s training program. This will be a great opportunity for us to help assist the younger generation within the local community to gain the key skills required for future employment in a variety of different businesses.”