TRAINEES and young people are often paid a pittance but that’s not the case at Weslo Housing Management, which owns and manages 2352 houses for social rent in West Lothian and Falkirk.

Set up in 1993, Weslo has a further 72 properties for market or mid-market rent which are managed by subsidiary company Weslo Property Management.

Weslo employs 80 people and has been an accredited Scottish Living Wage employer since July 2015.

“We are a caring and responsible employer providing staff with competitive pay and benefits for positively delivering fundamental services to the communities in which we operate,” said Sarah Bickerstaff, head of human resources.

“We firmly believe that the Scottish Living Wage should also extend to people who choose to join our company when we offer training opportunities to prepare and support Scotland’s available workforce for the world of work.”

As a result, Weslo ensures that the Scottish Living Wage of £8.45 is offered when recruiting for their Modern Apprenticeship schemes for trades and housing careers for young people aged 16-19.

Also committed to providing work placements to individuals who are most disadvantaged in the labour market, Weslo is involved with the Community Jobs Scotland programme, which gives potentially life-changing opportunities to people. The organisation is keen to support this initiative in the long term.

On successful completion of their training and qualifications, Weslo’s last intakes of Modern Apprentices were offered full-time employment.

“We are extremely proud of their achievements in becoming qualified professionals through hard work, commitment and positivity,” said Bickerstaff.

“These work programmes not only focus on the attainment of a recognised qualification, which in some instances can take up to four years to complete, but encourage our experienced staff to mentor and support our apprentices and work placements to develop fundamental skills in being part of a team and a values-driven company.

“We welcome people into our company and believe that by paying the Scottish Living Wage we are doing the right thing by them by making them feel as valued as any other member of staff from day one.

“We are proud to be an accredited Scottish Living Wage employer and our testimonials from our work placements and modern apprentices encourage us to continue to always do the right thing.”

Zach, from Falkirk, who is on placement with Weslo for 12 months, said: “I think having the Scottish Living Wage has helped me a lot with travelling to work, paying for the essentials I need to have on a daily basis. There is a big difference on what you can do by being paid this rate — I’ve been able to join a gym!

“This opportunity has opened doors for me to grow as a person and, most importantly, made me become comfortable with focusing on my studying and producing good work.”

Bickerstaff added: “Creating an opportunity and making a difference for people is really what paying the Scottish Living Wage is all about.”

Since its launch in April 2014, more than 600 organisations in Scotland have signed up to become accredited as official Living Wage employers, giving their workers at least £8.45 per hour.