Youth development organisation grows team

Swindon non-profit The Platform Project has expanded its team thanks to pro-bono support from Wiltshire’s Niche Recruitment.

The youth development organisation works closely with local authorities, education institutions and local employers to bridge the gap between education and employment. 

Since its inception in 2015 The Platform Project has helped thousands of young people re-engage in education, secure paid employment or start their own business, with an 89 percent success rate. 

Over recent months, Niche Recruitment has helped to hire an additional 13 members of staff in key roles at the innovative social enterprise, including six therapeutic mentors, three teaching assistants, two tutors and a youth trainer. 

The recruitment drive led to the team hiring Giselle Grace who has also joined the organisation in a key role as The Platform Project’s new Operations Manager. The former Deputy Head brings experience in operations and the Special Educational Needs (SEN) arena.

She will be launching The Platform Project’s Boost programme, which will give young people who are at risk of leaving education early or are struggling to find their feet in the world of work to improve their skills, confidence and CVs through the innovative experience-based programme. 

Giselle said, “I am excited to join the enthusiastic and ambitious team at the Platform Project and to be part of the relaunch of the BOOST employability and enterprise programme. 

"It is a fantastic opportunity to engage and empower young people in Swindon, supporting them to develop their capabilities and confidence and become work-ready.”

Sadie Sharp, CEO at The Platform Project, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Giselle to the team. Her passion for helping to ‘fill in the gaps’ in education and training resonated with us. She brings with her a range of fresh ideas to further develop our offer and help us meet the increasing demand for our services. 

“Getting this recruitment drive right was critical to help us expand our capacity with the right quality and quantity of specialist staff. Michelle and the team at Niche have been absolutely superb. 

"They helped us handle what was an incredibly daunting recruitment task – their video applications system helped us shortlist easily and interview quickly, and their advice was invaluable. 

"We received almost 100 applications to fill 13 vacancies in eight weeks, and it simply wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Niche.” 

Michelle Graham, Co-Founder of Niche Recruitment, said, “Niche has been a longstanding supporter of The Platform Project. We’re passionate about getting people into work and finding high-quality candidates for businesses and organisations, so we were delighted that this campaign was so successful.

“The number of young people dropping out of education is rising at the moment, which makes the work of The Platform Project even more pertinent. The Boost programme is particularly relevant with employers facing pressures over recruitment. 

"Giving young people that opportunity to gain valuable, practical experiences to add to their CVs will help to put them on the front foot.”

People can find out more about the range of services available for young people across Swindon, Wiltshire and Bath at platformproject.co.uk.