Young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and those in Alternative Provisions are amongst the most likely to become ‘Not in Employment, Education or Training’, which is why supporting these young people to have access to skills development, role models and workplaces, is at the core of our delivery.
Project Spark!
We understand that every Special School and young person with SEND has unique challenges and needs, so our Project Spark! partnerships and programmes are designed to be adaptive to be appropriate to student abilities and school service gaps, co-designing solutions that; broaden career horizons, raise career aspirations, develop vital employability skills, establish career goals and prepare students and their families for transition into the world of work.
In-school employer engagement
Students get the chance to meet and work with a range of volunteers. Students complete a range of workshops, supported by employer volunteers, developing employability skills, including communication, teamwork, leadership and interview skills.
Industry workplace insight visits
Arranged by Youth Careers Collective, workplace insight visits to local employers, allow students to explore different roles with local employers. Some examples of recent insight visits we have facilitated, includes; Park Plaza Waterloo, Heathrow, Berkeley Group, Novotel.
Facilitated group mentoring
Youth Careers Collective sources, plans and facilitates group mentoring sessions, with employer volunteers leading sessions to help students develop communication skills and work readiness, build vital social capital, explore ambitions and plans for the future and be inspired by role models.
Inspire to Work
Supporting young people attending an Alternative Provision, ‘Inspire to Work’ provides a variety of opportunities and employer engagement activities, based on each young person’s ability to engage, with the goal of supporting them into the one-day-a-week Internship placements, for as many weeks as they are able, up to a maximum of 30 weeks.
The objective of ‘Inspire to Work’ is to enable participants to raise their career aspirations and confidence, develop their self-efficacy, improve their employability skills and work readiness skills, successfully transition to a relevant post-16 course, apprenticeship, training or employment.
During the programme, young people are also supported to complete a Level 1 or Level 2 Employability qualification, and ultimately supported to transition into a sustained destination.
Level 1
One-to-one or small group sessions with Youth Careers Collective about careers and employability
Level 2
In-school employer engagement and skills development workshop activities
Level 3
Half-day workplace industry insight visits and team tasks
Level 4
1 to 3 days of workplace experience with a local employer
Level 5
One-day-a-week Internship placement at a local workplace (up to 30 weeks)
“I had no clue that I’d be able to take on the amount of work there is at Audi. I wanted to be a mechanic, but I didn’t even know how to change the oil, so it was just a mind image, and now it’s a reality.”
Rory, Woodbridge Park Education Service Student
If you would like to find out more and discuss how we can collaborate on improving the employment prospects of young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and for those attending an Alternative Provision, please contact Charmaine Esprit – charmaineesprit@youthcareers.org.uk
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