A St Albans-based business which aims to support teenagers with paid work has won an international award at a ceremony in Spain.

Zara Ransley set up MyPocketSkill to support children and young adults aged between 13 and 24 with finding work opportunities.

Zara RansleyZara Ransley (Image: MyPocketSkill)

She feels that it has never been more important - or more difficult - for young people to obtain the skills and experience needed in the world of work.

At a ceremony held on June 12, the business took home the Education, Employability and Entrepreneurship award at the Santander X global challenge awards in Malaga, Spain.

Zara said: "We’re really proud of this global award but most importantly, we’re excited to see how our growth can support more and more young people from across Hertfordshire with their financial independence and employability.

"Like all scale ups who experience the ups and downs of growth, it’s rewarding to see that our platform for young people has once again been recognised as one that promotes access to learning, helps improve employability and strengthens entrepreneurship through our core mission of financially empowering young people."

The company aims to connect young adults with families and small businesses, where they can offer their skills in exchange for experience and crucially, money.

This could include mentoring, tutoring, babysitting or using digital skillsets.

The goal is to financially empower Gen Z and give them the skills and experience needed for the future.

MyPocketSkill saw off more than 1,000 other companies across 11 countries to win the award.

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St Albans native Harrison is one of the young adults working with the company, using his social media skills to make extra money while at university.

He said: "The extra cash has helped pay for the weekly food shop at university.

"I’ve also improved my resilience and adaptability along the way as well as learning some valuable lessons in personal finance, such as budgeting, saving, and setting financial goals."

MyPocketSkill was named by CityAM as one of the UK's 50 fastest growing start-ups in 2022 and say that they have already helped thousands of young people, with a goal of reaching one million in the next three years.

More information about the company can be found by visiting their website www.mypocketskill.com.