Redhill-based Raven Housing Trust has proclaimed its work placement scheme just the job after all of its trainees found permanent work.

The youth employment scheme, called Step Up To Work, has ended its first year with the flawless 100% success rate.

Launched last April, four trainees aged 18 to 24 completed six-months paid work experience with Raven. All four have found permanent jobs, including Aaron Savage, Raven’s newest IT helpdesk recruit, who started a permanent role at Raven after his six-month placement finished this month.

Angela Ellis, Raven’s head of community investment, said: "We are delighted that everyone who was offered a placement has gone on to paid and permanent work.”

She said: “Some of the trainees, before coming to Raven, had been unemployed for months and were struggling to even get an interview, so this is a real achievement.”

Step Up To Work was set up at Raven to help address the Catch 22 situation that many young people are trapped in, whereby they cannot get a job without experience, but cannot get the experience they need to get a job. Last year, Raven’s investment in work programmes got 24 people back into work. Step Up To Work will continue this year, with two more trainees currently working with Raven, which is a charitable Industrial and Provident Society and a registered social landlord, with its head office in Linkfield Lane.