Castle Point MP Rebecca Harris has pledged her support for Work Experience Week 2014. Happening this week, the initiative provides the opportunity for employers and young people to highlight the positive impact of work experience placements.  Employers provide a fresh minded, motivated and innovative young person with a great experience, allowing them to build a platform for their future. Young people benefit from being able to break the cycle of 'no work experience - no work' by gaining invaluable skills, helping them to tackle that first step into the workplace.

The initiative was launched by Fair Train, a group training association which aims to encourage employers and training providers to take on apprentices and training within their organisations. Rebecca is taking part by providing a work experience placement to Jack Duffield, a Year 11 pupil from The King John School.  Jack, from Canvey, will shadow Rebecca in her day to day activities as an MP and learn valuable skills that will help him to get a good job in the future.

Rebecca is a keen supporter of improving the opportunities for young people to gain employment in Castle Point and across the country in her role as Conservative Party Vice Chairman for Youth. Since becoming an MP Rebecca has provided no less than 30 young people with at least a week of work experience in her Westminster office. The majority of those who have been on work experience were young people from Castle Point and several have since completed their studies and gone on to gain employment.

Commenting, Rebecca said:

“Work Experience Week is a great idea and highlights the huge benefits to both employers and young people of undertaking work experience. Having been a business employer myself I know the value it adds to a potential employees CV. I try to offer work experience in my Westminster office to as many young people as I can and I know that several of them have since gone on to get good jobs – including two who now work for me full-time. I am equally pleased to be able to take Jack on for this week and hope the experience is of great value to him. I would recommend to all businesses in Castle Point that they look at taking on someone for work experience or even go one step further and look at taking on an apprentice because the benefits for everyone are huge!”