Macclesfield MP, David Rutley, gave his support to the LifeSkills programme run by Barclays, which is designed to help young people in the area prepare for the world of work, during a visit to the local branch.
LifeSkills is a nationwide work education scheme designed specifically for secondary school pupils to help them access the knowledge they need to make the transition into the working world. Locally, the LifeSkills programme has ran workshops at Macclesfield College and Tytherington High School, providing students with the practical knowledge they need to further their education and build their careers.
Over 100 young people in Macclesfield have benefitted from LifeSkills workshops and David hopes that more teachers in and around Macclesfield will consider taking the opportunity to work in partnership with Barclays to deliver LifeSkills workshops in their schools and valuable work experience placements in the local area.
While at the bank, David met with former Barclays LifeSkills apprentice Ben Crimes. Ben started his apprenticeship with Barclays over a year ago and has recently been taken on as a full-time employee.
After David’s visit, Lee Vickers from Barclays said, “We were pleased to show David the great work which Lifeskills is doing in the local community to equip young people with the skills and opportunities they need to enter employment.”
David said, “It was good to meet with Lee and Ben during my visit. Ben’s success is proof of the great opportunities apprenticeships can produce. It is vitally important that young people today leave school with the skills they need to excel in work. LifeSkills workshops are a good way to supplement what is taught in traditional lessons and are helping many young people in and around Macclesfield. I hope that many local businesses will consider taking on work experience students and apprentices through the ‘matching service’ on the LifeSkills website.”