The first ten apprentices recruited thanks to the London Evening Standard's "Ladder for London" apprenticeship drive have started work.
Just a month after the scheme was launched, the ten previously jobless young Londoners arrived an hour early for their start at investment bank Goldman Sachs' Fleet Street head office.
They toured the building before being introduced to the mentors assigned to them for the next year.
They will be working in different divisions within Goldman Sachs, anywhere from HR ... to operations ... to the technology division ... and even to recruitment.
From different cultural and educational backgrounds, all ten of the new apprentices had been applying for jobs - over five thousand in total between them - without success.
That's even though many of the ten have excellent GCSEs and even BTecs.
Many of their applications weren’t even acknowledged, and those responses giving a reason for rejection, tended to cite lack of experience as the reason.
Some had been offered places at university, which were turned down for varying reasons, including the tripling of tuition fees, while others had applied but had not been offered a place ... and two had started their studies at university but then dropped out.
Now, after completing their Level 2 pre-apprenticeship training, they look to be on their way to starting a successful career - at long last.
