Severn Trent is taking on 500 young people over the next year as part of a government social mobility scheme.
The Kickstart scheme funds the creation of job placements for 16–24 year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long-term unemployment.
The company is aiming to take up to 80 starters a month until the end of 2021 with placements lasting six months and covering a variety of areas and skills.
Chief executive Liv Garfield said the support is available for people who might otherwise be at risk of not being able to get back into the workforce.
“We’re absolutely certain we’ll find a load of really talented people who, at the very least, will leave us with a range of new skills they might be able to put to use with other employers.
“We’re also pretty certain we’ll end up with a number of new colleagues who’ll have impressed so much during their placement we absolutely had to take them on full-time.”
More young people have become unemployed since the start of the pandemic than other demographics, according to government figures.
Unemployment for young people increased by 88,000 (17 per cent). For young men there was a 22 per cent increase compared to an 11 per cent increase for young women.
Gavin Williamson, secretary of state for education said the scheme will give young people the chance to gain real life work experience so they can secure a job, move on to do an apprenticeship or pursue further study.
“It’s a fantastic example and I’m sure many other companies will be looking to follow their lead.”