Trio of appointments to the DYW Fife Board bolsters the experience of the leadership team in Fife

The Developing Young Workforce Fife (DYW Fife) Board has appointed three new members in 2021 to further enhance the expertise of the leadership team within the organisation. Karen Lees, Andrew Latto and Gordon Reid, all Fife locals, have joined the Board this year from varied backgrounds and with a diverse range of experience in multiple industry sectors.

Andrew Latto, HR Director with Kingdom Housing Association (KHA), is a Chartered Member of the CIPD and has been instrumental in implementing the Trainee Programme within KHA that supports local young people through a similar structure to a trades apprenticeship. Having worked with the Career Ready programme for the last four years, and personally having hosted a mentee, the opportunity to join the DYW Fife Board presented itself earlier this year.

Andrew tells us,

“Being part of an organisation like Kingdom Housing Association, which supports young people across Fife with various opportunities, joining the DYW Fife Board seemed to be a really good fit for me. Having had experience of mentoring, foundation apprenticeships and our own training programmes, I hope to use my knowledge and experience to help young people to find their passion. It’s important to me that we help young people gain an understanding of what the world of work is like. This should support them on a social level, as well as a practical one, and help them to understand the subtle nuances of workplace interactions so that they feel fully prepared to make that step. As an HR practitioner, I feel my expertise would be beneficial in shaping how DYW Fife can support this journey.”

Also joining the DYW Fife Board this year is Gordon Reid from Re-Employ – a social enterprise which assists in finding opportunities for people with disabilities. He began his journey to the DYW Board by engaging with the DYW co-ordinators in Fife to lend his expertise and personal experience in engaging young people with disabilities into the programme.

Gordon says,

“It’s important to me that the DYW programme also has the capabilities to support young people with disabilities who are engaging with the programme. Through my role at Re-employ, which is a social enterprise that also assists people with disabilities and others who are far removed from the labour market through work placements, I understand the challenges that are faced by people with disabilities when it comes to employment. It’s hugely important to engage these people early and give them experience of the workplace and the roles, both locally and beyond, that could be available to them. I’m delighted to have joined the DYW Fife Board to put my expertise in this area to good use and enhance the offering for people with additional needs.”

The final new Board member, Karen Lees, has a background in teaching within various secondary schools throughout Dundee, but has returned to Fife to take on the role of Education Manager in Employability & Destinations within Dunfermline, Queen Anne and Woodmill Cluster Schools. Karen has valuable experience with educating young people and a passion for engaging them early in employability programmes to encourage positive destinations.

Karen shares her thoughts on joining the DYW Fife Board,

“I think the sheer commitment to young people in Fife is amazing and exciting to be a part of. As an educator, I understand the importance of attainment and achievement but it’s also about developing skill sets for life too. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us all that plans can change. Even for young people who have a strong idea of what they want to do once they leave education, it is important to show them all available options and support them during this process of discovery. I’m looking forward to using my role to strengthen the partnerships that already exist between employers and education within Fife.”

Of these new appointments, Ryan Hepburn, DYW Fife Lead tells us,

“I’m delighted to welcome Karen, Andrew and Gordon to the DYW Fife Board and excited to see what their varied expertise can bring to the team. Their appointments will bolster an already diverse leadership team and we hope to utilise their impressive and diverse experiences to further enhance our service offering and connect with even more organisations and employers in Fife as we move forward.”