Empower Youth Zones appoints two apprentices to support the future growth of the organisation.
In October 2023, Empower Youth Zones appointed two new apprentices to join the Communications Team to support of the growth of the organisaiton.
The two apprentices will support Empower manage the communications of HideOut Youth Zone located in Gorton, East Manchester which opened in 2020, and Salford Youth Zone located in Pendleton, Salford which is due to open to young people in Spring 2025.
The two successful candidates, Jasper Liddy and Cerys Brotherton, joined Empower through local training provider The Juice Academy; provider of the UK’s first industry-led social media apprenticeship.
The 15-month long Content Creator apprenticeship will see the two train with The Juice Academy one day every other week, gaining the latest digital marketing and content creation knowledge from specialist tutors who work full-time in the industry, whilst working with Empower Youth Zones the rest of the time.
The course involves developing and creating content for digital, social and print media that can be used as part of advertising and media campaigns for the Youth Zone.
The two apprenticeships have been funded through the ‘Apprenticeship Levy’ of one of the leading UK Wealth Management companies, Charles Stanley.
The Apprenticeship Levy was initiated by the UK government in April 2017, for all employers paying a wage bill of more than £3 million per year. Employers that meet this criterion are now required to pay 0.5% of their payroll each month as a levy tax. This levy can then be reinvested back into their workforce in the form of Apprenticeship training.
The Government also introduced a “Levy Gifting” element to enable companies to gift a certain percentage of their “un-used Levy pot” to another employer – rather than “lose it”.
Director of Communications and Fundraising, Patti Holmes, said:
“We are grateful to Charles Stanley for gifting us part of their apprenticeship levy so we could appoint two new apprentices through the Juice Academy. The extra capacity within the team will support us greatly whilst we continue to grow the reach and reputation of HideOut Youth Zone and embed the brand and identity of the Salford Youth Zone in readiness for it to open to young people in Spring 2025.”
Speaking of his successful appointment at Empower Youth Zones, apprentice, Jasper Liddy, said:
“In this role, the Communications Team and I look after all social media accounts and create designs aimed at many different demographics, maintaining the connection between us, and our community. I joined Empower Youth Zones because the people here, staff and young people, are extremely supportive, and there is no better place to grow. While at The Juice Academy, I hope to progress my skills even further, but also learn new skills in other areas, becoming better at multiple things”.
Empower Youth Zone’s second successful apprentice, Cerys Brotherton, said:
“In this role I am supporting the Communications Team to capture and showcase to everybody all that Empower has to offer; what we do and who we are. The content creation apprenticeship I am currently on with the Juice Academy has so exciting so far, there are so many possibilities to really see the impact and difference you are able to create in this industry and I can’t wait to do so!”.
Empower Youth Zones is the charity that oversees the creation, management and sustainability of Youth Zones in Manchester and Salford.
HideOut and Salford Youth Zones provide children and young people aged 8-19 and up to 25 for those with additional needs with somewhere safe to go, something position to do and someone trusted to talk to.
