Prince’s Trust and Direct Line Group offer help for young unemployed in Wakefield

Youth charity, The Prince’s Trust, has teamed up with Direct Line Group to give unemployed young people in Wakefield the chance to get into car repairs.  
  
This comes as one in three young people in Wakefield are struggling to find a job (32 per cent). 

The Prince’s Trust is  looking for unemployed 16 to 25-year-olds to take part in its free four-week Get into Car Repairs course, running in Wakefield from 19th November 2012. 

Get into Car Repairs gives young people the opportunity to gain the qualifications and skills they need to find a job in the motor repair industry. Participants will also gain real experience of working on real car body-shop repairs and learn from fully qualified experts at one of the Direct Line Group Accident Repair Centres in Normanton. 

Lucy Hornsby, of The Prince’s Trust, said: “We recognise that this is a tough time for young people in Wakefield and they need support and guidance to help them into work. 

“Programmes like Get into Car Repairs give participants real on the job experience and, thanks to Direct Line Group, our young people can work with their expert practitioners to equip them with the skills they need to get into the motor repair industry.”

Chris Wilson, Commercial Director at Direct Line Group, said: “We believe the ‘Get Into’ initiative is a fantastic opportunity for young people to get valuable work experience and assistance in developing key skills, that will help further their chances of gaining employment. Whilst this is a pilot, we hope this will be the first of many, as we aim to roll out ‘Get Into’ courses throughout the UK; providing hundreds of young people access to real life work experience and the support network that underpins it.”

Last year, three in four young people supported by The Prince’s Trust moved into work, training or education.

Get into Car Repairs is aimed at young people not in full-time education, training or work. After the course participants are given six months support to help them into employment or further training.

A taster day will take place on Tuesday 13th November at the Accident Repair Centre in Normanton. To register your interest or for more information contact Ben Robertson on 0743 273 9889 or email [email protected].

Youth charity The Prince's Trust helps change young lives. It supports 13 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed and those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion. Many of the young people helped by The Prince’s Trust are in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness or mental health problems, or they have been in trouble with the law.  

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For more information please contact Rachel Reay at The Prince’s Trust on 020 7543 7344 or at [email protected]

Notes to editors

The Prince’s Trust

Youth charity The Prince’s Trust helps disadvantaged young people to get their lives on track. It supports 13 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed and those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion. Many of the young people helped by The Prince’s Trust are in or leaving care, facing issues such as homelessness or mental health problems, or they have been in trouble with the law. The Trust’s programmes give vulnerable young people the practical and financial support needed to stabilise their lives, helping develop self-esteem and skills for work. Three in four young people supported by The Prince’s Trust move into work, education or training. The Prince of Wales’s charity has helped more than 700,000 young people since 1976 and supports 100 more each day. Further information about The Prince’s Trust is available at princes-trust.org.uk or on 0800 842 842.

Direct Line Insurance Group plc

Direct Line Insurance Group plc (Direct Line Group) is headquartered in Bromley, Kent; it has operations in the UK, Germany and Italy.

Through its number of well known brands Direct Line Group offers a wide range of general insurance products to consumers. These brands include; Direct Line, Churchill and Privilege. It also offers insurance services for third party brands through its Partnerships division. In the commercial sector, its NIG and Direct Line for Business operations provide insurance products for businesses via brokers or direct respectively. 

In addition to insurance services, Direct Line Group continues to provide support and reassurance to millions of UK motorists through its Green Flag breakdown recovery service and TRACKER stolen vehicle recovery and telematics business.