Apprenticeships mark Hill centenary

Tuesday 7th February 2012

London-based charity Octavia Foundation is to launch a new programme of apprenticeships later this year to celebrate the legacy of the charity's namesake.

The Octavia Apprenticeships form part of the celebrations planned throughout the year to mark the 100th anniversary of Octavia Hill's death, and to celebrate her legacy 100 years on.

Octavia Hill, the founder of Octavia Housing, was the pioneer of social housing; she started managing her first three properties in Marylebone, London, in 1865 and by the mid 1870s she was responsible for about 3,000 tenants. She also provided paid or voluntary work to enable the unemployed to gain skills.

The Octavia Foundation supports communities and individuals in west and central London, and has already helped hundreds of local people at different stages of their professional careers.

The apprenticeships, which will be launched in April of this year, will be part of the charity's new training initiative, Future Foundations.

Launched in January, it is designed to appeal to recent graduates and younger people aged 18 to 24.

The new programme is tailored to individual participants and will include one-to-one CV and interview advice, mentoring from experienced professionals and advice and support to help secure employment and training opportunities.

Wray Bennett, an employment adviser at the Foundation, said: "In December 2011, the Government announced that youth unemployment had hit an all time high. We're determined to help reverse this trend in west and central London in 2012.

"We're working to finalise the new apprenticeship scheme which will further support younger people to develop their skills and find employment and is expected to offer three roles within different functions of the Octavia Foundation and Octavia Housing."

For further details on the Octavia Apprenticeships and Future Foundations, visit http://www.octaviafoundation.org.uk.

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