A NUMBER of unemployed workers in Swindon have won places on a work experience scheme developed by Thames Water.

Last year, the utilities company said that to combat a lack of engineers coming into the trade, it was launching a programme for unemployed workers.

It is called ‘Give Someone a Start’ and is designed to offer skills which candidates could put on their CV to make them more attractive to potential employers. It starts on Monday and will last for three weeks.

Thames Water education manager Paul Hampton said: “Give Someone a Start is a valuable scheme giving unemployed people a taster or, in some cases, a reminder of what it’s like to be in the workplace.

“We employ more than 4,500 people at Thames Water so have a huge amount to offer in the way of advice and experience. We’re very proud of our programme which has proved in the past it gets results and, most importantly, gets people into work, be that in the water industry or other sectors.”

It is a Government-backed scheme, developed by Thames Water which covers much of the South of England including London, which was first launched in 2012.

The programme explains what employers are looking for while equipping candidates, all from Swindon, with practical skills and hands-on experience in a workplace. The majority of them will work at the company’s Walnut Court offices with the accounts and customer service teams.

Each candidate will have a mentor and be given tips on interview techniques and CV writing, while also taking part in a workshop to hone their IT skills.

The Swindon scheme is the third of four that Thames Water is supporting in 2014/15, along with west London, east London and Reading.

Of the 17 candidates who took part in the Reading scheme in November last year, three were offered permanent jobs with the water company after impressing their mentors during their placement, while another two had secured jobs elsewhere by the end of the three-week scheme.

A presentation event will be held at Thames Water’s Walnut Court at the end of the three-week programme, when certificates will be presented by North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson.

Thames Water is also launching an industry-first traineeship programme in 2015 for 45 people.

They will join for six months’ intensive training, with the aim of securing a full time operational job with the company once they have finished training.