Inverclyde’s leading business network, Inverclyde Chamber of Commerce has welcomed its first intern as part of its partnership with Career Ready – a national social mobility charity that supports young people to get into work.

The programme provides support to young people as they transition from S5 into S6 with a paid month-long internship alongside 18 months of mentoring support from the business.

Inverclyde Chamber has now welcomed Jay Archdeacon (pictured above) as its new intern for 2022-23, with the internship taking place across July 2023.

Currently transitioning into S6 at Port Glasgow High School, Jay is looking forward to spending the next four weeks at Inverclyde Chamber and hopes to gather new experiences that she can take into her future career.

Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa, Career Ready CEO said:

“We’d like to thank Inverclyde Chamber and its Board for working with us to invest in young talent.

“Paid internships and mentoring are key in helping young people develop the workplace skills and confidence they need to succeed in the world of work. And we’d urge other businesses to join Inverclyde Chamber in giving young people opportunities and support to kickstart their future careers.”

98% of Career Ready students go onto sustained work, education, or apprenticeships following the programme and research carried out by Opinium confirmed that:

• 81% of employers would hire their Career Ready intern

• 87% of former interns said the Career Ready programme had a positive impact on their life

Across the UK, 1,300 young people are currently experiencing paid internships with a network of 370 employers as part of the Career Ready programme.

Career Ready