To inspire young people, bridging the gap between industry and schools, helping connect community and professionals to build a future talent pipeline and workforce.
The YouNG project is an initiative funded by Rushcliffe Borough Council which is part of Trent Bridge Community Trust. The aim of the project is to help local young people to develop employability skills and real life experience which will prepare them to achieve their goals and aspirations. The delivery of the project is split between three main strands of activity: Work experience, YouNG Market events and YouNG Ambassadors, as well as supporting the Ready 4 Work job club.
The best thing about YouNG is that it offers young people an opportunity they can’t get elsewhere. It offers a safe environment where young people can just try something new, build their confidence in engaging with new people, and learn life skills along the way
Parent of YouNG Participant
You can find out more about what YouNG is from the video below:
We look to organize opportunities for young people to gain valuable experience that will help them to fulfill their potential, as well as providing careers advice and support. This is achieved by ‘matching’ each young person with a placement that is suited to their needs and interests. YouNG is flexible with its placements and facilitates requests for placements ranging from half a day in length up to 6 months and beyond. We work with businesses, local partners and schools to ensure a mutually beneficial placement for both the company and the young person. There are three main work experience packages that we offer:
- Snapshot - this work experience package is meant to make the concept of work experience less onerous for businesses. It involves a few hours/half a day and a group of students having a tour of a workplace, speaking and engaging with employees in differing roles, with the aim of raising the students awareness of the range of jobs that exist within one organisation. For example that in a law firm there are marketing, finance and admin jobs too.
- Traditional - The traditional work experience is what is recognised as a standard work experience week, whereby a student visits an organisation and works with the designated departments to understand the field they are interested in. YouNG works with organisations to ensure these placements are valuable and not just young people ‘making tea’.
- Long-term work experience - This entails a young person regularly coming into an organisation over a longer period of time. For example, it could be one day a week over a 6-8 week period but is flexible to the needs of the business and the young person. This allows a rapport to be built between the young person and the organisation and to undertake a meaningful project which the organisation can utilise and which gives the young person some valuable experience too.
Our market events are unique in that they are focused solely on young people. Participants are allocated a market stall for a reduced rate, where they can run their own business and sell goods they’ve made or upcycled at market events around Rushcliffe. Each young entrepreneur keeps 100% of the profits that they make and learns a variety of business skills.
Those taking part are encouraged and mentored as they create their own concept, manage stock and cash flow and develop their confidence, social and selling skills. One young person who previously held a market stall said:
By hosting a stall at YouNG Markets, I have been able to develop the following skills: sales, networking and communication and I consider these skills to be crucial to any entrepreneur, young or old
YouNG also aims to give creative individuals a chance to showcase their talent and enhance their skills and experiences by providing a stage at its events where young people can perform in front of an audience and at a live event. This is often where talented young people start their performing careers and can act as a platform for their next step, such as in the case of one band who; on the back of performing at a YouNG Christmas Market, were invited to support an upcoming band on their UK tour.
The YouNG Project also employs several YouNG ambassadors made up of one year 10 representative from each of the schools in Rushcliffe. Their job throughout the year is to be the link between their school, their local communities and the YouNG team and to disseminate relevant information and opportunities to aid the delivery of the project. This may include; using social media to communicate with young people, promoting job opportunities and work experience, events, activities, services and also help with the planning and delivery of our YouNG Markets. The ambassadors are provided with a package of employability focused training including:
YouNG supports the Ready 4 Work job clubs that take place on a weekly basis in Rushcliffe and specialise in helping young people aged 16-24 get in to work – the support includes CV and cover letter guidance as well as job sourcing. If you, or anyone you know could use this help then details are below:
"Working with YouNG at Ready 4 Work gave him a real sense of pride and ownership as he realised that he was "doing alright" in his attitude to work and to his progression in getting it.”
Parent of Ready 4 work participant
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