WHEN Tyreek Kasim graduated from sixth form in the summer of 2020 with straight As and decided to turn down a place at university to apply for an apprenticeship, the last thing he expected was to wind up jobless and ground down by the system.
But this is exactly what the 19-year-old from Hounslow endured before his luck changed after doing a course at City Gateway, one of the charities we are funding to make jobless young people work ready as part of our £1 million Skill Up Step Up campaign in partnership with Barclays LifeSkills.
Tyreek said: “I began my job hunt last summer feeling buoyant and that because of my grades, it would be a breeze. I searched on UCAS and the GetMyFirstJob website and started applying for five apprenticeships a week, focusing on business, finance and digital marketing. I couldn’t wait to start earning and learning.”
But it was the first summer of Covid and, as the rejections piled up, Tyreek began to worry. “I made around 60 applications over three months and scored just two five-minute phone interviews — one with an accounting firm, who said my maths C for GCSE was too low, another with Lloyds Bank, who also turned me down. For months I was in my bedroom burrowing away making applications getting more and more discouraged. Many of my peers had gone to uni and I felt left behind.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 21, 2021-Ausgabe von Evening Standard.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 21, 2021-Ausgabe von Evening Standard.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Only £65k a month to live like Boy George
The Karma Chameleon singer listed his house for £17m in 2022, turning down offers. Now, he's looking for a tenant
Welcome to London, unicorn capital of Europe
We're flying far ahead of anywhere outside US for tech investment
Arteta's Arsenal evolution The next phase
Malik Ouzia and Simon Collings assess how the Spaniard will try to bring down Man City after he signs up for another three years with the title in his sights
Title fight catches fire after Gunners embrace dark side
Arsenal-City clashes take on a welcome edge of animosity
Whack the hippy gong-boho's back
It happened in Paris one grey February day. Sienna Miller was in an oversized, black leather jacket, lace-trimmed silk slip and clumpy great wedges.
There's a Starlink waiting in the sky... 7,000 in fact.Can Elon Musk stop them crashing to Earth?
As he was preparing his fields for seeding this year, Barry Sawchuk came across a giant slab of space debris. It had come from a spacecraft belonging to Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX.
'Politicians are only into power-mongering, corruption and cronyism'
We speak to alt revolutionary DEEPAK CHOPRA about biomarkers, his digital twin and his work to save humanity from disease
I've been waiting for a production of Godotthis brilliant all my life
Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msamati bring a potent, tragicomic chemistry to James Macdonald’s rich revival of Samuel Beckett’s challenging play.
Trust me, the Ritz is London's bestrestaurant
To whom we turn in moments of gloom and glory can be instructive, a filter of our truest friends. I've fallen out with the Ritz a couple of times, including once after a visit to the bar which didn’t warrant a review (“But you said it was lovely!” they said.
'Healing is a dirty word'
After four traumatic years, FKA twigs is back with a new album -and a thrilling metamorphosis