THIRTY young people are being offered contracts with Portakabin to get them on the career ladder.

The York-based leading modular building expert has joined the Government's Kickstart Scheme and will be providing vital work experience opportunities for young people.

Designed to create job placements for 16 to 24-year-olds who are at risk of long-term unemployment, Kickstart works with employers across the UK to secure invaluable experience and training.

Portakabin will be providing placements for 30 people on six-month contracts across its UK business, including at its head office in York.

HR director at Portakabin, Amanda Stainton said: “Our commitment to the Kickstart scheme builds on our highly successful apprenticeship programme, which has seen 45 young people receive vital skills training and mentoring over the past eight years.

“Thirty young people will be joining us across our UK business, receiving vital experience in the workplace and mentoring from our highly-skilled team.

“The placements are scheduled to start in January and although we’ll continue to keep a close eye on Government guidelines at that time, we’ve ensured that our factories, depots and customer sites are able to carry out their essential work safely, in a Covid-19 Secure environment, so the work experience opportunities will give young people a real understanding of the workplace and the huge variety of skillsets which make up our business.

“Our Learning and Development Team will also ensure that those young people are given as much advice and support as possible on optimizing their future employment prospects.”

Minister for Employment Mims Davies MP said: “Portakabin joins thousands of Kickstart employers across the country stepping up to offer young people a vital chance to get on the jobs ladder, and it’s great to see even more set to benefit and learn from a highly skilled team in the new year.

“The experience and network of contacts these potentially life changing placements will provide is invaluable, and businesses across every sector must continue to get involved so our next generation of workers can build crucial skills to thrive in meaningful careers.”

Portakabin, part of the Shepherd Group, is the UK’s market leader in the manufacture and construction of modular buildings, with an international reputation for designing, building and delivering building projects on time and on budget.