A youth development organisation has expanded its team with the help of a Wiltshire recruitment agency.

The Platform Project, a Wiltshire non-profit organisation, teamed up with Niche Recruitment as part of its efforts to bridge the gap between education and employment.

The organisation, based in Swindon, has been helping young people since 2015, with an 89 per cent success rate in re-engaging them in education, securing paid employment, or starting their own businesses.

In recent months, Niche Recruitment has helped the organisation fill 13 roles.

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These include six therapeutic mentors, three teaching assistants, two tutors, and a youth trainer.

The new recruits include operations manager Giselle Grace, who brings experience in operations and the special educational needs arena.

She will be launching The Platform Project’s Boost programme, which is designed to help young people at risk of leaving education early or struggling to find their feet in the world of work.

The programme will help them improve their skills, confidence, and CVs through an innovative experience-based programme.

Ms Grace said: "I am excited to join the enthusiastic and ambitious team at the Platform Project and to be part of the relaunch of the BOOST employability and enterprise programme.

"It is a fantastic opportunity to engage and empower young people in Swindon, supporting them to develop their capabilities and confidence and become work-ready."

Sadie Sharp, chief executive at The Platform Project, said: "We're delighted to welcome Giselle to the team.

"Her passion for helping to 'fill in the gaps' in education and training resonated with us.

"She brings with her a range of fresh ideas to further develop our offer and help us meet the increasing demand for our services."

Ms Sharp said the recruitment drive was crucial for expanding their capacity with the right quantity and quality of specialist staff.

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She added: "Michelle and the team at Niche have been absolutely superb.

"They helped us handle what was an incredibly daunting recruitment task – their video applications system helped us shortlist easily and interview quickly, and their advice was invaluable.

"We received almost 100 applications to fill 13 vacancies in eight weeks, and it simply wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Niche."

Michelle Graham, co-founder of Niche Recruitment, said: "Niche has been a longstanding supporter of The Platform Project.

"We’re passionate about getting people into work and finding high-quality candidates for businesses and organisations, so we were delighted that this campaign was so successful."

She added that the Boost programme is "particularly relevant" with employers facing pressures over recruitment.

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