DEVELOPING the Young Workforce North East has announced three appointments to its board, adding a wealth of additional experience and knowledge to the organisation during a challenging time for Scotland’s young people.
Dr Colette Backwell of CLAN Cancer Support, Neil McKinnon of Peterson Offshore Group and Anita Martin of Well-Safe Solutions join the rapidly-expanding organisation as it increases its efforts to bridge the gap between education and employers and help young people in the region find fulfilling careers.
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DYW North East has grown significantly since the turn of the year with 14 new employer school co-ordinators joining the team to provide enhanced on-the-ground support to all 32 secondary schools in the region. The investment is part of the organisation’s response to the need to providing a ‘no wrong door’ approach for young people in the radically changed environment.
Interim chair Alec Carstairs said: “The North-east has been hit by a number of economic challenges recently, all of which have impacted on opportunities for young people to either enter employment or move into training or further education. However, the future is bright with several dynamic growth sectors offering exciting potential careers, not least the region’s ambitions to lead the world in the energy transition with net-zero skills likely to be in high demand in years to come.
“Extending our reach both with schools and the business community is vital so we are delighted to be strengthening our board with these key appointments which will help guide the significantly expanded team as we move forward.”
Dr Backwell has been chief executive of CLAN Cancer Support since 2015. Her previous roles include director of the Scottish Food and Drink Federation as well as a number of senior policy development positions in the UK, Scottish and local governments. With more than 20 years’ experience working across various sectors, she has a diverse knowledge of agriculture, rural affairs and the food and drink sector, as well as being chair of Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce’s third sector group.
Mr McKinnon is currently training, competence and development lead at Peterson Offshore Group. With over 15 years’ experience in people and leader development, he is very engaged in mentoring and apprenticeship opportunities and is the key link between Petersen and a number of schools across the region.
Mrs Martin is the HR manager at offshore well decommissioning company Well-Safe Solutions. With over 25 years working in HR, primarily in the oil and gas industry, in her current role she is focused on talent attraction and retention and is also very active in a number of local secondary schools.
DYW North East and DYW Moray are currently collaborating on a joint research project which seeks to compare young people and employers’ opinions on the employment landscape in the region. Open until the end of August, the survey is part of a pioneering project looking at how to reassure and inspire young people about their options in the challenging work environment.
Mary Holland, director of DYW North East, said: “We are here to offer guidance and support but it is important that we understand the scale of the task. If young people and employers can tell us directly what they see as the burning issues, we can address these perceptions to make our work more available and effective so I would urge everyone to take part in the research. It is only by understanding where the gaps lie that we, under the guidance from our board of industry representatives, can identify the priority actions we need to take to address them.”
