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The Foundation was delighted to welcome along Toni and Wes from the Govan Appliance Project (GAP) to Ibrox to deliver to a workshop to its CashBack For Communities – Towards New Futures programme participants.

The course aims to re-engage young people with current or past convictions and help them move towards a more positive future including working, higher education or further training.

The GAP’s vision is to create a community space that promotes engagement and opportunities to upskill by providing training, advice and sales of white goods. The project also includes a circular economy retail space that provide refurbished white goods that are affordable and sold back to the local community.

CashBack participants were given a presentation on what the GAP can offer them and also had the opportunity to learn how to fix several components of household white goods. The project also offers CashBack participants the chance to complete a PAT Testing course and go onto self-employment with the ability to repair and fit white goods.

Speaking about the workshop, Foundation CashBack Co-ordinator, Andy Gordon, said:

“Having our partners in to present to our CashBack participants is always great. Sometimes it can really resonate with them if they can see a path for themselves from where they are at just now. It always engages them really well as they have the opportunity to learn skills that can help them in the real world alongside gaining further employability prospects.”

“I’d like to thank Toni and Wes for their time on the day and we are looking forward to an onsite visit to the Govan Appliance Project later in the month.”

The CashBack programme is delivered within Ibrox Stadium and works in partnership with four Scottish prisons and Govan Thriving Place (as well as other referral routes) to target and support a variety of young people aged 16 – 24 from the local area and beyond.

Speaking after delivering the workshop Toni, from the Govan Appliance Project said:

“The way we had initially developed our programme was that we wanted to approach people of any age but after a few times we decided to hone into the youth employability aspect of it and after having a chat with Andy and Ross about the programme and what the Foundation do we thought that it would be really good to partner up and filter people through from CashBack to ourselves and with the partnership we can continue to offer a step into employment and further training.”

“The way we work and what’s involved in the Govan Appliance project lends itself really well to employability and we can offer individuals the opportunity to break down barriers because it’s not in that typical learning environment.”

Wes who also works with the project and delivers training said:

“The way that the individuals from CashBack have engaged with us when they come for training has been really good. They turn up which is always the most important thing but when they come on our training course, they are ready to learn which is great for them but also great for us.”

“Sometimes as well people learn things about themselves. We had an individual come from the Foundation that went through the PAT testing course who went on have the second highest score out of a group of 20 people so sometimes things like this can help people find their niche.”

CashBack for Communities is a unique Scottish Government programme which takes funds recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.