Barnsley-based youth employment specialists, the ZootAlore! Group, have reacted to today’s new unemployment figures released by the Government.

ZootAlore’s Chairman, Adrian Oldfield, said: “One of the ways we need to tackle youth unemployment is by setting ‘Work Expectations’, which needs to be put into young people’s minds whilst they’re still at school.”

“Young people should expect to work, and expect to receive a fair day’s wage for doing so. We are hearing too often about apprentices being seen as ‘cheap labour’ and that is totally wrong. If anything, an apprentice should be paid a better wage than their colleagues in the same role; after all they are working towards a qualification.”

“An apprentice isn’t about cheap labour, it’s about building a well-rounded, experienced young person that could become an asset to a company.”

Each month, a member of the ZootAlore! team will give an insight into life in our offices.

Introduction:

Hi, my name is Victoria and I work in the Communications Department at ZootAlore! Thank you for taking time to read my blog. You’ve caught me during my first week at the office, so I’m really busy at the moment.

What I have been up to:

This week I have been sorting out ZootAlore’s social media. As you can imagine, we have a number of social media accounts to manage; so I have been organising everything to make it more streamlined for everybody involved.

We’ve also been designing our new ZootAlore! mascot; Zoot the alien. Creating Zoot alongside the rest of the team has been great. We’re currently deciding what he should be wearing, how he travels and even what accent he has! The ideas are already rolling, though, with plans for viral videos, holiday photos and much more.

The worker bees at ZootAlore! are happy to reveal the fruits of their labour; the much anticipated launch of our new and improved website! We feel this new and rather spiffy design is so much easier to navigate, so if you want to find out just who the heck ZootAlore! are or just what it is we get up to over here in sunny Barnsley then your answer shouldn’t be more than a click away.

ZootAlore! have got a lot of exciting initiatives on the go at the moment. Chief amongst these is the Big Academy, a rapidly growing community interest company which helps young people slay the monster that is unemployment through offering a variety of different services. We’ll also soon be launching MyLife, a new and exciting web platform designed to help Learners with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LLDD) find work and/or training and also lead more independent lives.

We’re always looking to hear from you, in fact we insist upon it, so if you’ve got any questions, want to comment on our new layout, or even if you just want to say hi, then feel free to get in touch or email us directly at hello@zootalore.com.

Have fun!

MyLife is a new web based platform designed by ZootAlore! Community Foundation CIC which aims to support the wide range of needs experienced by Learners with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (LLDD) and give easy access to specific Careers IAG, potential training placements and independent living information.

Key features of MyLife will include the ability for individuals to create personal profiles, link directly to schools, colleges and training providers, as well as provide the necessary IAG to make informed decisions through independent or supported access. In addition, support for young people and adults’ independent living will be included and gives access to information and support organisations as well as potentially linking them to supported living placements within their locality. It will also track and record each learner.

This innovative platform has been created in the belief that no matter what barriers there may be, all young people need to have a structured way to plan their future, live fulfilled lives and achieve their individual potential. For more information and news concerning MyLife, make sure to visit zootalore.com/mylife.