NHS Lothian and Scran Academy have joined together to support young people, who are at risk of exclusion, transition into work. The collaboration aims to help young people discover their appetite for the workplace by opening a Scran Café in NHS Lothian’s Comely Bank Centre.
Scran Academy is a catering social enterprise in Edinburgh which provides freshly made, good value food whilst offering young people, aged between 13 and 21, a unique yet critical pre-work and pre-apprenticeship development journey within the business.
45,000 young people (16-24) are unemployed in Scotland and new statistics show the number of learners leaving school without a positive destination has increased to a five-year high.
Through the charity’s existing community-based Academy School and Scransitions, a new 16+ employability programme, this partnership will empower young people with the skills and confidence to lead in the hospitality industry. At the same time the programme will take a significant bite out of the poverty-related barriers, life challenges and injustices they face on a daily basis – being care-experienced, disengaged from mainstream school, at risk of homelessness, unemployed or suffering from poor mental health.
Comely Bank Centre is NHS Lothian’s major training and admin centre and will provide many hungry and helpful customers for the young people to practise their new-found skills on.
John Loughton BEM, Founder of Scran Academy said: “We are so delighted as a grassroots youth charity to be partnering with NHS Lothian in order to launch the Scran Cafe.
“This innovative new enterprise will not only offer great food and a relaxation space for NHS Lothian staff, but it will provide a much needed opportunity for local young people to change their own lives by leading their own real life business. Through the cafe and the wider training and support from Scran staff, over 100 young people will access work experience and employment opportunities through the partnership which will build the confidence and life chances needed to overcome the poverty-related barriers so many young people still sadly have to face.”
Jodi (16) from Royston who is a young employee at the Cafe said: “I love working and helping at the Scran Cafe. It’s different from anything else I’ve done as it shows me the real world of work. It’s good serving people, cooking, communicating and working hard in a shift. I feel proud of myself because I’ve never been confident to speak to strangers or other people, and I feel my skills have already improved.”
Janis Butler, Director of HR and OD, NHS Lothian said: “We are absolutely delighted to support an initiative that really helps young people from our local communities. It’s great to see young people be given that chance to boost their skills , confidence and experience, regardless of their background or barriers, as they begin their journey into adulthood.”
The Café will open to the public later in the year as restrictions are eased and will also provide a free community library, with support from Edinburgh International Book Festival and other bookstores.
To find out more about Scran Academy please check: https://www.scranacademy.com/
