Our Care Leavers Employment Services (CLES) work with 16 to 26 year olds who are care experienced and have been cared for by Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). The team helps care experienced young people with employment and training, including:

• 1:1 employability and education support
• career planning
• help to removing barriers to sustaining employment, training or further education.

The services work in partnership with social work, public, private and voluntary sectors and are always looking out for employment opportunities for the young people. Recently, they have been working with the John Lewis Partnership.

The John Lewis Partnership’s Christmas adverts never fail to tug at the heartstrings, and the 2022 campaign was no exception. It featured a middle-aged carer learning to skateboard to help a young person feel more at home as they transitioned into care. This touching advert highlighted the John Lewis Partnership’s dedication to supporting young people from the care system, which goes beyond just storytelling.

In addition to their emotional campaigns, John Lewis has taken concrete steps to support care leavers by employing Care Experience Specialists to launch the “Building Happier Futures” employment programme. This initiative focuses on creating career opportunities for young people who have been through the care system.

Lynsey Fleming, Care Experience Specialist at the John Lewis Partnership contacted our CLES team to reach out and offer young people the chance to gain valuable work experience and guaranteed job interviews at John Lewis and Waitrose stores in the Glasgow area. They provide tailored assistance through one-on-one sessions and group support, empowering care-experienced individuals to build successful futures.

The CLES team identified four young people that we thought would get the most from this opportunity. Within weeks, the four young people began a three-day work experience at the John Lewis Glasgow branch, exploring different departments and learning about the partnership. At the end of the programme, three out of the four participants were offered positions, while one chose to pursue a college opportunity instead. The feedback shows how much the work experience engaged the participants. One young person said “John Lewis were very welcoming, engaging and I had a really positive experience during my work placement” and another said “The experience was a good opportunity for those that hadn’t had a job before to get taster of what it would be like in a fun, friendly environment”.

Following the success of this initial programme, a second was launched, resulting in more interviews and job opportunities for care-experienced young people. The initiative continues to grow, with new opportunities now extending to Waitrose stores, and two more participants will begin their work experience at the Byres Road shop.

Liz Simpson, our HSCP’s Head of Children’s Services, Families for Children / Children’s Residential said, “Our staff work hard to support care experienced young people and develop relationships with employers, and we’re delighted to have John Lewis on board. As John Lewis and Waitrose deepen their commitment and their collaboration with Care Leaver Employment Services, they are not only changing lives but also building a brighter future for Glasgow’s care leavers”.