Gaining work experience
There is no substitute for actual experience in the workplace for evaluating suitability and level of interest in a job. It is rare that a young person knows exactly what type of work they would most enjoy and part of the challenge is to help them map their interests and skills in a manner that reveals types of work with the potential to offer greatest scope and sustainability.
Projects
Employment Finder Service Youth Programme, delivered by New College Stamford, the programme combines personalised support as part of lively group sessions to re-engage the interest of young people who are NEET in their potential and work prospects. Through proactive engagement with local employers in Stamford, Spalding, Grantham, Sleaford and Lincoln they have created work placements which, in several cases, have led directly to full-time paid employment. Guilsborough School in Northamptonshire have offered young people at risk of becoming NEET, mentoring support to discover job interests and rekindle their confidence and enthusiasm, by developing a programme of part-time work placements combined with part-time education.
Other ESF-funded programmes in which work experience is a key aspect of delivery include:
- Artwork (London)
- Brighter Futures Plus (Kettering/Corby)
- Catalyst Plus (Exeter, Plymouth, Devon, Torbay)
- Fifteen Cornwall (Cornwall)
- Future Focus (Lincolnshire)
- Inspire, Engage to Educate (London)
- Young Entrepreneurs (Bedfordshire).
