After joining Coventry City under the ‘Kickstart’ scheme, Ben King has become a permanent member of staff at the Sky Blues Academy.
Ben joined the City setup at the Alan Higgs Centre back in September, beginning his six month placement with the Club under the Government’s Kickstart scheme.
The Kickstart Scheme was a programme launched by the Government last year, funding new job roles for 6 months, available to 16-24 years olds in receipt of Universal Credit.
Coventry City and Sky Blues in the Community took part in the scheme, creating a number of 6-month opportunities for young people to join a professional football club and gain experience of working in a football environment.
Following the conclusion of his time with the Club as part of the scheme, Ben has now begun a permanent role with the administration team at the Academy.
Ben said:
“It has been a great opportunity for me, and it’s been really nice to work in a competitive environment where there has been a focus on developing me as a person and everyone has made me feel welcome and valued.
“It really has been fantastic, and I’ve enjoyed coming in every single day and working hard to help the club and to be given the opportunity of full-time employment is something I’m delighted with.
“I think it just shows that if you put in the hard-work and dedicate yourself to something you will be given opportunities and I just can’t wait to carry on working here and I look forward to the future.”
Dan Bolas, Academy Manager at Coventry City, said:
“One of Coventry City Academy’s core values is development, with a particular focus on young people from the Coventry area.
“Ben has shown a willingness to improve throughout his time in the Kickstart programme, and is fully deserving of the opportunity to continue his journey with us in a full time capacity.
“It is also a great commitment from the club to identify someone who has potential to be an asset to the program and invest in him, especially considering the role is a new position.”