There’s nothing worse for young people than to be unemployed and broke. Before working for the green charity PECT I faced the task of signing on at the Job Centre every fortnight, reading the back pages of local newspapers and applying to agencies to find a job without the faintest hope of success. I believed I was going to be unemployed for a while, until I was made aware of the Future Jobs Fund (FJF), a scheme set in place to find work for those unemployed and claiming JSA. I applied for three jobs through the FJF, but didn’t believe I’d get a response. My personal advisor at the Job Centre seemed confident that I would soon be employed, which was very pleasing as I was unemployed for so long. Within three weeks I had two interviews, followed by two offers of employment. I was over the moon! I’ve worked for PECT on a varied list of projects including web administration and attending community events.Since then I’ve done a bit of research and it turns out stories like mine are not uncommon. Projects like this scheme have helped make a big difference to people like myself who have struggled to get back into employment. The most commendable aspects of the FJF scheme is its drive towards helping people progress further towards the goal of successful full-time employment. The majority of their jobs are in the community sector and within the environmental sector, such as my job here at PECT and the highly successful Green Team who have travelled the city knocking on doors reminding people that Peterborough is the UK’s Environment Capital, imparting advice on how to reduce energy consumption and many other tips on sustainability.
My role at PECT has kept me busy with a variety of roles so far in my placement. I am currently responsible for maintaining the Greeniversity website, which allows anyone to share important green skills and engage in events throughout Peterborough. My other role is to monitor exchanges on the Eastex website, which allows businesses throughout the UK to keep landfills to a minimum and helps people to exchange goods from furniture to garden waste.
