Basingstoke MP Maria Miller attended the launch of Mentoring Circles in Basingstoke. This is a new DWP initiative to support youth unemployment and was held at BCOT. Three local employers, Anthony Bravo Principle at BCOT, George Scott-Welsh from Incuhive and Gary Littlewood from Unum agreed to be mentors for the first programme.

The Mentoring Circles Programme uses positive role models to support young people,building  their confidence and making them more self-sufficient. These core skills increase their employability. The aim of the programme is to support jobseekers in building their aspirations to work in organisations that they may have previously seen as inaccessible to them.

Maria was welcomed to the session by Sarah Crewe - Read, Employer & Partnership Manager at Basingstoke Job Centre. Maria chatted to attendees and mentors and discussed the benefits of the scheme.

Maria Commented; “ I very much enjoyed visiting the first session of Mentoring Circles at BCoT. Many young jobseekers need support and guidance and mentors with first-hand knowledge of the workplace can provide the best form of support. It can be difficult for young people to navigate their way around the job application process and the Mentoring Circles programme helps them to do just that. The scheme also enables young jobseekers to gain work experience thanks to the mentor system. I would encourage more companies here in Basingstoke to get involved in this tremendous initiative.

Please contact Sarah Crewe-Read Employer & Partnership Manager DWP Sarah.crewe-read@dwp.gov.uk if you are interested in more information.”