Information for Employers
Talks & visits Work placements Volunteering

Part of Helm’s role is raising young people’s aspirations, helping them to realise how many opportunities are available to them and illustrating that there is no wrong path. A local professional coming into Helm to talk about their job, their industry or to share their personal journey has an incredible impact on Helm’s young people. It puts a face, a name and a story to an abstract idea and makes it realistic and achievable. Similarly, a visit to your work place allows young people to get a realistic idea of what a work place is and what potential opportunities are available.

Taking a young person on for a few days or a few weeks. This gives young people hands on experience of a role or an industry. It helps them decide if it is the right career for them. It provides them experiences they can talk about in future interviews. Every work placement through Helm is supported, for both the young person and the employer, to ensure that everyone benefits from the experience. Every work experience is tailored to suit the needs of the young person and the employer.

Share your expertise with or dedicate some time to Helm.  Helm is always grateful for local professionals to undertake a masterclass which upskills either Helm’s young people or Helm’s staff, all with the aim of ensuring that young people at Helm get the best possible experience and most relevant information and opportunities; i.e. lead a session with Helm staff on how to get the best out of Teams, undertake mock interviews with Helm’s young people so they are prepared, etc. Alternatively provide some time and help with fundraisers, in Helm’s allotment or in a variety of other ways.

Working with Helm is a great way to connect with and give back to your local community. Whether this is for the warm fuzzy feeling of helping a local charity or getting some brand recognition in the local area.

By supporting Helm you as an employer have an opportunity to say exactly what type of skills and attributes you value as an employer. Helm can use that information to directly inform the sessions they deliver to the young people, instilling these values and attributes into the young people. Helm is an accredited SQA centre, which means that we deliver a large range of recognised qualifications and there is always the potential for adding more qualifications to the list. If you share the qualifications that you look for in an employee Helm can undertake to support the young people to achieve these or begin on the journey towards them.

Working with Helm is a great way to support your team personally and professionally. Sharing information about your role is a great way to improve presentation skills. Supporting a young person while they are on placement is a brilliant way to develop mentoring and leadership skills. Undertaking mock interviews, delivering a masterclass on a subject or leading an activity or project is an opportunity to develop coaching skills.

Having a young person on placement brings a new vitality and focus to every workplace or team and provides opportunities for creative thinking. Young people bring energy with them and often see things in different ways. Taking the time to explain actions and processes to a young person on placement can be an opportunity to review them and ensure they are still optimal.

Taking a young person on placement is a safe and easy way to trial taking them on as a new employee. It is an opportunity to determine if they are a right fit for your organisation. Taking on a young person is a chance to ensure that they are trained in a way that works for you and your organisation, not breaking bad habits picked up elsewhere. Helm can also support employers in finding funding to take on a young person, including recruitment incentives and apprenticeships.