Jamie ‘kickstarts’ his career with Borders College

The @BordersCollege E-Learning team recently welcomed Jamie Rae on board, through the recently established Kickstart scheme, offered to employers to support the training, development and employment of young people aged 16-24.

Jamie has taken up the role of Virtual Learning Environment Kickstart Apprentice and can’t wait to put his skills to good use, saying:

“I’m thoroughly looking forward to getting into the role and believe I can bring a unique array of skills to the E-Learning team and the Borders College Virtual Learning Environment.

“I decided to drop out of university last March and was looking for a job which suited my skillset and passion. The opportunity arose after a meeting with my Work Coach and I was referred to Borders College through the scheme, and eventually offered the VLE Apprentice role.”

The Kickstart scheme offers grants for employers and covers all pay and National Insurance up to minimum wage for the motivated young people participating. And the scheme isn’t just open to single employers, but groups of employers too – helping small businesses who couldn’t otherwise participate.

Borders College is proud to be working in partnership with Scottish Borders Council, NHS Borders, Borders Chamber of Commerce and Scottish Borders Social Enterprise Chamber to support the scheme, which also offers support to young people to develop new skills and to help them move into sustained employment after they have completed their Kickstart funded job.

Jamie, who is 20 and from Gala went on to say:

“I have experience in a creative subject area, so I want to transfer those important skills over to this new role. I look forward to playing a part in the changeover from the student learning platform Moodle to Canvas, as well as continuing to work with such a great team.”

Assistant Principal Jayne Gracie, who heads the E-Learning team at Borders College, commented:

“We’re delighted to welcome Jamie to the team. His role as the VLE Apprentice is really important in ensuring we take forward the e-learning agenda. He will provide a fresh pair of eyes and bring a contemporary approach to the role.”