Pictured from left: Clair Ferguson, Chief Executive Officer of the Elgin Youth Development Group, Amy Cruickshank Opportunities for All Officer with Moray Council, co-ordinator of Moray Pathways, and Ann Dowd from DWP.
A central hub in Moray which can be accessed by people who want to get support with learning, training or work has opened.
Moray Pathways has officially launched The Moray Pathways @ The Inkwell project.
The Hub, which will provide a single point of contact, has been created by a sub group of the Moray Pathways network.
This includes members of the Moray Council employability team, DWP, Elgin Youth Development Group, Skills Development Scotland and DYW Moray.
Project Officers Kailie Walsh and Will Napier will co-ordinate the wide range of employability and training support by working with several other agencies to create a partnership approach to ensure the right support is easily accessed by those who need it.
Will said:
“It’s really gratifying to be working on a project that will make such an important and positive impact on the quality of life for the people of Moray.
“This project couldn’t come at a better time as so many people, particularly young people are trying to overcome barriers or struggling to manage financially as a result of the pandemic and finding it really difficult to see a way forward.
“The team here at the Hub, along with our partners, are committed to pulling out all the stops and providing the kind of direct, practical support and assistance that will make the difference in so many peoples’ lives.”
Kailie added:
“I am really looking forward to being able to welcome young people to the Hub with eager faces and enthusiastic chat about all the possibilities on offer.
“In preparation we have been running a few small training events in the dedicated meeting rooms, and a few one to one meetings in the newly refurbished café area to test how we work and we are now ready.
“It’s really great to see all the agencies pulling together, and making life as easy as possible for service users to access all their services here, under one roof, and I’m proud to be a part of it.
“Moray has a great range of established and employability provision and skilled and passionate practitioners.
“This hub will bring all of that together, making it clearer for people to understand and choose between the different opportunities available, as well as the practitioners having a space to work from and network too.”
Ann Dowd, Employer & Partnership Manager for Moray at Jobcentre Plus, said:
“Moray Pathways is an excellent opportunity for young people to get the help they need.
“Our Youth Employability Coach, based at the Youth Hub, can give them the tailored support they need to find work, develop new skills and build experience.
“We look forward to working with them to help move them forward in their journey.”
The project also involves developing a new menu of online provision and utilising the digital platforms already established.
Clair Ferguson, Chief Executive Officer with the Elgin Youth Development Group added:
“We are delighted to be hosting the new employability hub and are looking forward to welcoming partners into the Inkwell.
“At the Elgin Youth Development Group, we aim to improve the lives of young people and we believe that the range of activities partners will be offering will have a positive impact on those who need it most.”
