Building Bridges
The Careers Scotland-led Inclusiveness Initiative helps track young people where they are not known to services and are not in employment, education or training (NEET) in Glasgow.  
 
The Inclusiveness Initiative has been a bridge that helped Ahad Aslam and Robina Qaddus cross from unemployment to learning and employment.
 
This Careers Scotland Initiative helps young people like Ahad, 17 from Mount Florida and Robina 18 from Govanhill look to a brighter future armed with skills.
 
 Ahad is in no doubt what it has meant to him: “School was hectic and when I left I sat in the house doing nothing. I was going nowhere. The Initiative introduced me to a ‘key worker’, Raza Sadiq who became my friend and mentor.  Raza introduced me to Skillseekers then got me an apprenticeship with the GHA for six months, now I am at the College of Commerce studying computing and I hope to go on to Uni.”
 
Robina nods her head as Ahad talks. Her story is similar and just as inspiring. She said: “My ‘key worker’ was Maimoona Kazmi and she also became a friend. She helped my confidence and helped me gain experience for six months in a lawyers office, now I’m at the Nautical College and studying beauty therapy and when I have finished my ambition is to open my own beauty salon.” 
  
Overview
Lynne Gostick, is the Careers Scotland Team Leader the two minority ethnic key workers who are designated exclusively to work with Black & Minority Ethnic communities and are match funded by GCPP through the partner organisation, Glasgow Anti Racist Alliance (GARA)
 
Lynne says: “We identify and engage with young people who are in danger of drifting away from employment, training or education. Our fear is they can settle for being workless. Of the 112 young people from the BME communities that the key workers have supported this year, 66 have so far gone into work, training or education.”