A 12-week employability initiative, in partnership with West Northamptonshire Council, has proven to be a resounding success, providing invaluable skills, experiences, and confidence to young people who were specified as NEET (not in education, employment or training).
Through a mix of education, hands-on projects, and community engagement initiatives, participants have gained the tools needed to pursue positive pathways and build brighter futures.
Running from September 2024 to December 2024, the programme aimed to equip young people with essential skills, boost their confidence, and enhance their future prospects.
A total of 20 young individuals participated in the programme, benefiting from 156 guided learning hours each. Collectively, this resulted in an impressive 3,120 guided learning hours across the 12 weeks. The structured sessions provided valuable training in career planning, making applications, interview skills, CV writing, and addressed important life topics such as drug and alcohol awareness.
Participants actively contributed to community improvement projects, including dedicating 80 hours to renovating Northampton Old Scouts RFC changing rooms. This initiative was supported by West Northamptonshire Council in partnership with Travis Perkins, Toolstation, Volunteer It Yourself (VIY), and Northampton Saints.
The refurbishment of Long Buckby youth centre also provided additional experience and enhanced facilities for the future in collaboration with VIY.
Beyond hands-on projects, the programme included a range of enrichment experiences such as a barista course at Bella Barista in Wellingborough, as well as sessions on cooking, hacking and fraud prevention, delivered by Barclaycard, and a sleep hygiene workshop.
Workshops were also delivered by The Lowdown, Lumia Arts Alliance and Travis Perkins alongside various other community-led initiatives. This collaboration between local councils, businesses, and community organisations played a vital role in supporting young people toward future opportunities.
Craig Phillips, the Foundation's Employability and Skills Manager said "Our partnership and programme aimed to support young people in the local community and reduce NEET.. We are thrilled to have implemented a range of interventions that encouraged personal development and skill-building, supporting positive steps forward and providing valuable opportunities".
The programme achieved a 75% positive progression rate, with 15 out of 20 individuals moving on to further education, training, or employment with 83% gained confidence in their ability to secure a job based on the skills learned through the programme.
To find out more about the Foundation's Employability programmes please click here.
