VisionPK are delighted to announce that their former Kickstart Trainee – now an employee with the charity – has been nominated for a prestigious DWP Kickstart Award.
Eleanor Bath from Glenfarg, took part in the paid six-month traineeship programme last year as part of the Government’s Kickstart programme.
The Kickstart programme was designed to help out of work 16 to 24-year-olds improve their job prospects by learning new skills in a real working environment, giving them experience to further their careers.
Eleanor was appointed as VisionPK’s Fundraising and Marketing Assistant and quickly made her mark with the local charity. Following her 6 months with the charity, she was asked to stay on in the role.
Now her hard work is reaping even more benefits after she was nominated for an award recognising her achievements at VisionPK.
Fundraising Manager, Katie Wylie, is full of praise for her new colleague and is in no doubt that she deserves to be recognised for her work and the progress she’s achieved. “Eleanor made an immediate impact on fundraising and marketing at VisionPK. With no formal training in either discipline and having never worked in an office setting before, she settled in immediately and began working independently on projects and raising vital funds for the charity. As someone who, this time last year, hadn’t worked in fundraising, or for a charity, to being an integral member of the team is fantastic to see. I’m genuinely excited to see what the future holds for Eleanor and feel privileged to be part of her professional journey.”
Eleanor will find out if she has been shortlisted for the Most Progress Made award sometime in June and, if successful, will attend a ceremony in London in July. For Eleanor, she’s just happy that her career is off to such a great start. She says, “I was very nervous when I first started the job but the more I’ve learnt, the more I’ve gained in confidence. I’d love to stay at VisionPK but whatever happens in the future, I feel that I have really boosted my skills and my future. Being nominated for this award is just the icing on the cake.”
VisionPK is a local charity supporting people who are blind, partially sighted, deaf or hard of hearing across Perth and Kinross.
ENDS
