Thousands of students benefit from Skills for Employment grants

Warwickshire County Council's Skills for Employment programme has awarded £3,000 match-funded grants to 26 schools and colleges across Warwickshire to develop the employability skills of young people and promote joint-working with business.

Evaluation reports submitted by schools and colleges show that more than 4,500 students benefited from the grants which were awarded in February 2015.

With £81,808 total funding, the approximate cost of helping each individual student was around £18. Among the students benefiting, there were more than 100 identified as at risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) while more than 300 had secured week-long work experience placements and eight had commenced apprenticeships.

A further 36 grants of £3,000 worth more than £104,000 were awarded in October.

An example of the diverse range of activities taking place as a result of the funding is Studley School which has provided a wide range of activities for pupils from Year Seven, Nine, 10 and 11.

One of the activities included raising awareness among 118 Year Seven students of the importance of English and Maths grades and how to access careers advice resources. 151 Year 10 students attended a Raising Aspirations Event where pupils interacted with 20 employers to explore different career paths.

Thirty pupils at risk of becoming NEET went to a further education provider for a tour around classrooms and other learning facilities. Students also received support in post-16 decisions - eight pupils secured apprenticeships while all other students secured further education or A level provision.

Meanwhile, in a separate strand of funding, in June 2015, the Skills for Employment programme awarded more than £320,000 to ten partnership projects between businesses and education-providers that focus on developing the employability skills of young people and helping solve the skills shortage.

Among those to benefit were sixth-formers at Round Oak Special School in Warwick. The students have set up a mobile baked potato business which they are hoping to operate for the rest of the academic year.

Supported by job coaches, the students from the school for those with additional learning needs and disabilities, will be in charge of all elements of running the business. The school says this excellent initiative is proving to be “life-changing” for the pupils involved.

Picture courtesy of the Leamington Courier.