Employment and Skills Programme
Our Employment & Skills Programme delivers tailored support to NEET young people aged 16 to 25 in the West of England.
The programme offers a fully supported pathway aimed at changing mindsets, fostering positive growth and building key skills to propel young individuals toward a brighter future.
There are four key parts:
- Workshops – A series of 8 workshops delivered by Ablaze, aimed at building vital skills, improving wellbeing and supporting professional development.
- Mentoring – Throughout the programme, each young person will work independently with a mentor to help them to build confidence and resilience, reflect on their learnings and discuss their next steps.
- Work Placement – Young people will enrol on a two-week work placement with a local business. The experience of working in a business allows for crossing the bridge between learning and practice.
- Networking – After completing the work placement, young people will be supported to network with a variety of businesses, education and training providers, exploring the progression pathways open to them.
The aims of this programme are to help young people:
- Grow in confidence in themselves and their potential.
- Discover career pathways and how to progress them.
- Make informed choices about their future.
- Make sense of training opportunities and their value.
- Work on overcoming barriers to progression.
- Discover of how to network effectively.
- Complete job hunting and job applications.
- Build connections and relationships with other young people.
You are eligible to take part if:
- you are aged between 16 and 25
- you are unemployed or on a zero hours contract
- you are not currently in education or training
- you are a UK resident or have Right to Work in the UK
We run 2 cohorts per year, with workshops in the Autumn and Spring. Please get in touch for our next available dates. You can also find out about further skills development and training programmes available via the Skills Connect website.
If you are a business in the West of England region and you would like to support a young person by offering a work placement, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact Lucy Meadows for further information.
*This programme is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
