Fleet Alliance is supporting 10 local apprentices through a number of community initiatives via the Glasgow-based youth project, G20 Works, to try and give them a better start in life and opportunities for work, training and personal development.
The fleet management and leasing specialist, which has over 30,000 vehicles under management, has provided £20,000 of financial support for 12 months to allow the apprentices, aged between 16 and 25, to participate in a series of community projects as part of the ongoing G20 Works programme.
G20 Works provides jobs, training, personal development and support to young people over 16 who may have experienced, or be at risk of, addiction, unemployment and imprisonment, to improve their life chances and become valued, contributing members of the community.
G20 Works grew from the G20 Youth Club in the G20 postal district of Glasgow where young people identified a lack of support at the significant crossroad of turning 16.
The Youth Club itself developed from the local Children’s Wood charity after it became evident that there was a group of young people who needed more support and earlier intervention to overcome the multiple barriers in their life.
The G20 Works programme now exists to build on these strong community foundations to offer young people a different path to the one they are on.
As part of this year’s programme, the apprentices will be carrying out a series of community tasks, including working on a food van, in a community cafe or helping build a community garden.
Fleet Alliance has also partially financed the G20 Youth Club initiative by raising money through its annual ‘Stars in their Eyes’ fund-raising event. This year’s star-studded show was won by CEO, Andy Bruce, for his epic, show-stopping impersonation of Elvis ‘The King’ Presley and raised £5,000 for the Youth Club.
Fleet Alliance’s backing for the G20 Works and G20 Youth Project is part of its ongoing social, charity and community support programme, Fleet Alliance Loves, which has contributed more than £700,000 to local, national and international good causes since 2008, with £40,000 raised in this year alone.
G20 Works Director, Emily Cutts, said: “This amazing support from Fleet Alliance allows us to pay our young people for the work they are doing in the community projects, to get them off the poverty line and to set them on a positive pathway for the future.
“Hopefully, this way, it may lead to future work and other opportunities, and it has certainly given them renewed energy and sense of purpose. None of this would be possible without backing from Fleet Alliance.”
Fleet Alliance chair, Martin Brown, said: “We are delighted to be able to provide this level of support to the G20 Works youth programme which is a cause close to our hearts.
“As an equal opportunities’ employer with core values of fairness, trust, engagement and respect, we strongly believe in young people who have experienced significant life trauma being given the chance to have a better start in life,” he said.
