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Glos Cricket supports young adults into careers with Kickstart Scheme

17 December 2021

Two young local people who were unemployed have been supported into new careers by Gloucestershire Cricket after taking part in the Government’s Kickstart Scheme at the Club.

James Zadarnowski, 24, and Jake Fernandes-Long, 18, learned new skills, gained experience in the workplace and improved their confidence during a six-month placement with The Shire last season, and have since gone on to secure jobs of their own. At a time when they were both out of employment, the pair both started working for Gloucestershire in June 2021 and through their hard work, determination and support from the Club, walked away half a year later with a valuable and solid foundation for future employment.

The Kickstart Scheme, a Government-led initiative, provides funding to businesses like Gloucestershire Cricket, so they can create new jobs for 16 to 24 year olds who are at risk of long-term unemployment, and need a helping hand in finding the perfect job for them. 

Thanks to the new skills and experience they picked up while working at Bristol County Ground and the Cheltenham Cricket Festival, James has secured full-time employment at a bank and Jake has a job at food and local produce retailer.

“The skills I learned at Gloucestershire Cricket are invaluable to me”, said James Zadarnowski.

He added: “A lot of the skills I have learned are transferrable, for example my communication and interpersonal skills. These have helped me build up my confidence hugely. There were times in the season where I had to deal with some stressful situations and now feel I am better equipped for when something similar comes up in the future.

“This job has challenged me, made me better and has opened my eyes up to lots of career paths that I was previously unaware of.”

The Government’s Kickstart launched in September 2020 and helps thousands of young people find their feet and make a break into a career path.

Jake Fernandes-Long added: “I really enjoyed my time at Gloucestershire Cricket and am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to learn new skills and enhance my career options. I’d like to thank the Club for supporting me on my search for long-term employment.”

Pete Lamb, Head of Community at Gloucestershire Cricket, said: “We’re delighted for Jake and James for securing their new jobs; both of them worked incredibly hard during their time at Gloucestershire Cricket. This is definitely something we’d like to build on in the future, we want to be supporting young local people into work more often. We wish James and Jake all the best in the future and with their chosen careers.”

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