YOUNG people in the North-East are being encouraged to think about how their first experiences in the world of work could lead to the unlikeliest of careers.
Some of the UK’s most well-known celebrities had unlikely starts to their careers as revealed by the Department for Work and Pension's (DWP) #firstjobs campaign – Davina McCall worked as a sales assistant, Lenny Henry was a welder and Myleene Klass surveyed rivers.
Now the government is encouraging young people to make the most of the remaining summer by gaining valuable skills in the world of work, which could help them secure their first job, including through Government schemes such as work experience, apprenticeships and sector-specific training.
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Youth unemployment is now 127,000 lower than it was in 2010, and across the country last summer, around 100,000 more people started a new job compared to earlier on in the year.
Debbie Morton, from Jobcentre Plus in the North-East, said: "Young people often tell us they can't get a job without work experience and they can't get work experience without a job. That is why we introduced our work experience scheme to give people a taste of the world of work which could open the door to other jobs and careers.
“There’s plenty of help and advice on things like work experience and skills training available through Jobcentre Plus.
“The Government has also expanded work experience, changing the rules so that young people on Jobseeker’s Allowance can now do up to two months work experience without it affecting their benefits. Work experience is a voluntary scheme run through Jobcentre Plus.”