A Christmas thank you to Devon companies

Companies in Devon who provide work opportunities for young people from across Europe, have been celebrated at a special ‘Christmas thank you’ event in Torbay.

Representatives from more than 60 firms met at The Palace Hotel, in Torquay, for the gathering, receiving certificates to mark their achievements.

They are among the 450 Devon companies that work with the Torbay-based Training Partnership, which puts high quality work placement trainees together with businesses in sectors ranging from IT and engineering to hospitality and legal services.
Bay Advocates, Coast and Countryside Trust, Exeter County Courts, Hunters Brewery, Paignton Zoo, Premier Sports, SDC Engineering and South West Colour Labs were amongst the organisations recognised at the event on Wednesday December 16.

Nadine Stroud is a Director of the Training Partnership, based at Torquay Innovation Centre.

She said: “We have a fantastic and growing number of companies across Devon that we work with to secure placements for graduates and undergraduates. The feedback this year has been fantastic.

“The young people are highly motivated, skilled and hard-working, and possess very good English and are dedicated to their work. Organisations benefit from that, but of course they are helping young people take a vital step in their career development.”

Exeter City Council, Harbour Breezes and Kents Cavern were honoured with special awards made to organisations providing extra support and opportunities for young people through work placements.

James Hull, General Manager at Kents Cavern, which has been working with the Training Partnership since 2002, said: “They are very motivated, having already made the decision to leave home and come abroad and work in a new environment to progress their career.

“For us, it’s about giving them the opportunities to develop, so we make sure there’s variety in what they do. We’ve had people come in on work placements and end up securing jobs, because we’ve been so impressed.”

Maureen Gori De Murden, Senior Economy and Tourism Officer at Exeter City Council, said: “The people we’ve worked with have been absolutely amazing. They quickly become part of the team. They are skilled, knowledgeable, efficient and their English has always been impeccable.

“We’re a really mixed team covering everything from economic development and tourism through to specific events like festivals and the Rugby World Cup. They support us with our work and we try and give back through varied and rewarding placements.”

The Training Partnership, which works with companies in Plymouth, Exeter, Torbay and across Devon, is seeing growing demand for placements in sectors including IT, engineering, healthcare, finance and hospitality. To find out more www.ttpl-uk.com