The Edinburgh based Access to Industry and Scottish Business in the Community (SBC) partnership continues to produce impressive results. SBC’s relationships with Scottish business makes it ideally placed to broker work placement opportunities for students on Access to Industry’s Passport and Transition projects.

Since November 2006, 45 students have undergone work placements with SBC and 11 students have gone on to be employed by their placement provider.

Work placements provide Passport and Transition students with the ideal introduction to the world of work. They are supportive, but give students a real sense of responsibility, and give students something recent and positive to talk about when going for future interviews.

John recently completed a 4 week work placement with Royal Mail and impressed them so much that he was kept on as a Christmas temp worker, the busiest time of the year for Royal Mail. He had this to say about his experience:

‘‘I was wary when I first started the work placement, but I soon came out my shell. I really enjoyed the Get Ready for Work Training as well. It put my mind at rest about starting the placement, and it gave me new skills. The people at SBC and Royal Mail were really good, especially my buddy Carol. When I got the job after the placement I felt amazing, I did all the hours that they could give me. I’ve proved to myself that I can do it, and that is what it is all about.’’