In late May, Helen attended Kent Training & Apprenticeships‘ careers fair in Margate, talking to local residents about pathways into work and what opportunities Watkins can offer the community.
What the Work Ready programme is
Kent Training & Apprenticeships runs the “Work Ready” programme, part of Kent County Council’s effort to support young people and adults into employment. The course covers essential employability skills like CV writing, interview confidence and workplace expectations, and includes a period of work experience with a local employer.
It’s a vital programme. Across the UK, around 1 million young people aren’t currently in education, employment or training, and Kent is no exception. Courses like Work Ready are one of the few practical routes that help people break that pattern, especially in communities where employer access can be limited.
What Watkins is doing
We’re providing a work experience placement in July, across our administration and Health & Safety teams. The placement gives a Work Ready participant first-hand experience inside a working business, alongside our teams during a normal working week.
It’s the first placement we’ve offered through this route, and hopefully the first of many.
Why it matters
Programmes like this only work if local employers turn up. Without practical placements, the qualification doesn’t connect to real-world experience, and participants don’t get the confidence boost that comes from being inside a real workplace.
Watkins has a long history of supporting apprenticeships and community programmes across Kent. The Academy team itself includes several people who came into HSEQ from completely different roles through internal training and apprentice routes. We know first-hand how powerful the “grown our own” model can be.
If you’re an employer in Kent considering supporting the Work Ready programme or an equivalent apprentice initiative, we’d warmly encourage it. Local careers depend on local employers showing up.
Read more about Kent Training & Apprenticeships or our wider community work.
