Inverclyde’s largest independent property letting firm, Bowman Rebecchi has revealed it is expanding as part of the UK Government’s Kickstart scheme.

The roles have been secured thanks to partnership work between the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and Inverclyde Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the main gateway for local businesses to apply to the scheme.

The scheme provides new job placements for 16-to-24-year-olds who are currently on Universal Credit and are at risk of long-term unemployment.

All roles provide a minimum of 25 hours a week over a six-month placement period, providing applicants with a chance to gain solid work training and experience and set them up for roles in the future.

Further training helps the recruits with a wide range of important employment skills including teamwork, communications, training, help with CV writing and support to help stay in employment.

23-year-old Lucy MacDonald from Greenock is the first beneficiary through the gateway, being appointed as a Marketing Executive at Gourock-based firm Bowman Rebecchi, who has topped up the Government’s minimum wage funding to pay the National Living Wage.

Lucy obtained a degree in International Business Management at Robert Gordon University in 2019 and had previously worked at One Cove Road in Gourock before leaving to travel.

Lucy said:

The Kickstart scheme has been fantastic for me, and I’ve enjoyed my first few weeks with Bowman Rebecchi.

“I’ve been given a lot of responsibility and the scheme came at just the right time to support my search for a new job, which proved to be very difficult during the pandemic.

“I’m hoping I can grow further into the role in the new few months and aiming to secure a longer-term contract with the company.

“I’d highly recommend the Kickstart scheme to young people who are looking for an opportunity to enhance their skills and experience.”

Marco Rebecchi, Director of Bowman Rebecchi, said:

“We understand how hard the pandemic has been for everyone, especially young people trying to get into work who have been the most affected by unemployment.

“Lucy has made a strong start with the business and the process to appoint her and receive the funding support has been very straightforward.

“We now have the approval to recruit another role via the Kickstart scheme to further supplement our growth plans and look forward to creating more employment opportunities for local people.”

ICC Chief Executive, George McKay said:

“Inverclyde Chamber has successfully worked in partnership with DWP and local businesses to create almost 30 job opportunities for local people with Inverclyde companies.

”We continue to see a high level of interest in the scheme, and we would welcome any further companies to contact us to understand how Kickstart could further support their business.”

Eileen McClafferty, employer and partner manager in Inverclyde with the DWP, said:

“The Kickstart scheme continues to grow in popularity, and we have several excellent candidates available for local businesses to employ.

“We’d invite all local businesses to take advantage of Kickstart to support future youth opportunities across Inverclyde.”

For further details on the Kickstart Scheme, click here.

For more information on Bowman Rebecchi, click here.