Young apprentice benefits from Give Youth a Chance scheme

When the Charlton Athletic Community Trust launched a new Give Youth a Chance initiative, we at Andrews Sykes were among the first companies to pledge our support to the scheme.

And a month after getting off the ground, the programme has already paid dividends as one local teenager excitedly recalls.

19-year-old Zeppelin Machen-Smith was one of thousands of young people struggling to find work until he was presented with the opportunity to do a pump engineering apprenticeship at our Charlton base.

He recalled: “I was with my family and my uncles were peering behind the door and my Nan and Granddad were jumping up and down as well! There was a lot of hugging and (I was) very happy throughout the day.

“I’m grasping the basic things and it’s very satisfying to learn new things every day. I want to learn, and they’ve explained to me in the way I need to be taught.”

Andrews Sykes are well-known for making an effort to giving young people a first step onto the employment ladder and we are therefore proud to be involved with projects of this nature.

“This is something the company feels very passionate about,” explained HR Manager Tracey Lawrence.

“Having a successful succession plan for any organisation is crucial, and people like Zeppelin are key to that.”

The ultimate aim is to help 500 people obtain full-time work, and Zeppelin’s story highlights our commitment to making this happen.

With the backing of Andrews Sykes and other businesses in London and beyond, there is every chance that Give Youth a Chance will reach its target – to the benefit of all of parties concerned.