Preston’s Invest in Youth Project
Preston’s Invest in Youth (IIY) project is specifically designed to support young people in Preston aged between 14 and 24 years. This new project will engage with eligible residents who are furthest from the labour market, helping them overcome their personal barriers to economic activity.
This project is supported by The Lancashire Colleges and will combine and continue some of the valuable and impactful successes that local delivery partners have achieved over the last six years through ESIF projects, the model being an intensive Key worker support project.
Read about the individual impacts achieved through Preston’s Invest in Youth project here.
Who we can help
Eligible participants must live in Preston (within Preston City Council’s district) and must be economically inactive (individuals are those not in work and not actively seeking work – unlike unemployed individuals who are actively seeking work).
Participants engaged will include, but are not limited to, young people with:
- Poor physical or mental health
- No or low skills / work experience
- Care Leavers
- Poor experience within the care system
- Substance abuse
- Experience of criminality
- Experience of domestic violence
- Benefit dependency
- Homelessness
- Financial difficulties
- Social isolation or loneliness
- Lack of motivation, aspiration and trust
To be eligible for support, individuals must be:
- Aged 14-24 Years old
- Economically Inactive (those not in work and not actively seeking work) or NEET
- Lives in Preston (within boundaries of Preston City Council)
- Legally resident in the UK and able to take paid employment in the UK (if over 18)
How can we help?
A designated keyworker will offer a holistic package of support including accessing services preventative action, community empowerment and capacity building.
Invest in Youth Keyworkers will work with participants throughout their journey with the project. They will help them to recognise their barriers to inclusion and provide support to towards achieving their personal aspirations.
All support is tailored, to the individuals’ need and is wholly led by the beneficiaries, typically lasting for 3 – 4 months, through to over 12 months for beneficiaries with more complex needs.
Get in touch today
For accessing IIY support in Preston please email daisy@selnet-uk.com or call 01772 200690 and ask about the “Invest in Youth project in Preston”.
Alternatively, the Invest in Youth project partners in Preston are:
- Beanstalk
- Creativity Works
- Preston Vocational Centre
- Skills Construction Centre
- Wot Wud U Do
- Preston North End Community and Education Trust
Invest in Youth Preston’s project delivery partners
Beanstalk
Beanstalk is a social enterprise providing Employment and Skills support. Their mentoring and training enables individuals to access employment and training opportunities in an inclusive and empowering environment. Additionally, their Food and Cookery provision delivers valuable job skills and personal growth through cooking and food skills training in communities and educational settings. Beanstalk’s initiatives are driven by community needs and cater to diverse learning preferences.
For support from Beanstalk through Preston’s Invest in Youth project, call 0300 3655530 or contact Kerry Stevens on kerry@beanstalkbusiness.co.uk
Creativity Works
Creativity Works provides employability support to access employment or become self-employed. After initial engagement each young person is assigned a Tutor whose first task is to carry out an initial assessment in order to identify prior learning and individual needs. This initial assessment then goes forward to form the basis of the Individual Learning Plan, which contains the qualifications that will be worked towards, target dates for achievement and the activities that will be carried out to meet the required objectives. Participants can choose from a variety of options ranging from Hair & Beauty to constriction or a mix of programmes.
Creativity Works is a social enterprise that offers an alternative form of education to people who need or prefer to learn in a different way to the traditional education system that is predominantly academically based to one that is project-oriented and provides individualistic tuition. They provide clear, manageable goals and frameworks for people who need – or want – learning and practice to be closely connected.
For support from Creativity Works through Preston’s Invest in Youth project, call 01772 555123 or email Steve Egan on steve@creativityworkspreston.org.uk
Preston Vocational Centre
Preston Vocational Centre’s Mission is to deliver the highest quality construction based vocational training and support to enable young people and adults gain skills, qualifications and confidence to enhance their full potential and build a positive future. As part of the Invest in Youth project they will deliver a range of City & Guilds construction-based qualifications as well as the employability skills. The courses they will deliver will concentrate on practical skills within a range of units covering the following trades:
- Plastering and Rendering
- Brickwork and Blockwork
- Plumbing and Tiling
- Joinery and Carpentry
- Painting and Decorating
- Health & Safety
Preston Vocational Centre has a proven track record of supporting young people to overcome their complex needs, and provide the necessary support to build their confidence, self-esteem and make them more employable by providing high quality training and pathways to employment.
For support from Preston Vocational Centre through Preston’s Invest in Youth project, call 01772 880680 or email Martin Grayston on martin.grayston@prestonvocationalcentre.co.uk
Skills Construction Centre
SCC provide a very different training environment from mainstream education providers. Many of their students have struggled or have previously been excluded from school and would not thrive in a traditional setting. SCC passionately believe that training should lead to sustainable employment and have developed close relationships with contractors and key stakeholders working across the Northwest.
Based on their onsite delivery model, their focus on employability and personal skills development through Preston IIY is targeted to support participants to access employment and further skills development within the construction sector. SCC recognises the importance of providing both appropriate impartial careers and transferable skills to young people they engage. Programme delivery will be designed with four strands:
- Skills for employment & Training
- Pastoral Support & Personal Development
- Sector related skills and/or knowledge.
- Employer Engagement
- Our vision is to create and develop the most reliable and inclusive training service.
For support from the Skills Construction Centre through Preston’s Invest in Youth project, 01772 686868 / 07725414630 or email Sonya Daley on sonya.daley@skillscc.com
Wot Wud U Do
Wot Wud U Do’s mission is to instil self-belief in the young minds they engage with, empowering them to positively influence their peers and discover their full potential. They develop young people’s life skills, employability and work readiness through a series of workshops that revolve around the skills builder framework and lead up to a ‘Dragon’s Den’ styled event, where the young people present and pitch their ideas for youth led social action projects that provides solutions to local problems
Wot Wud U Do believes in the transformative power of individuals to create a lasting impact on their communities, shaping the world they inhabit. Working across Lancashire, they are dedicated to nurturing and developing networks and partnerships that bring together young people from various backgrounds, empowering them to collaborate and bring about constructive transformations. They establish pathways for young people to take on leadership roles and actively engage in shaping projects, nurturing a profound sense of ownership and empowerment within them.
For support from Wot Wud U Do through Preston’s Invest in Youth project, call 07850 043313 or email Dave Clayton on dave@www.wotwududo.co.uk
Preston North End Community and Education Trust
Preston North End Community and Education Trust (PNECET) is the official charity of Preston North End Football Club. Utilising the power and appeal of Preston North End Football Club and football as a whole, they situate themselves at the heart of the Preston community, providing a high-quality service to improve people’s lives.
Through IIY Preston, their provision is centred around Community Engagement, Education, and Health and Wellbeing; through services connecting young people from all walks of life, supporting people to achieve their goals and helping them to make positive changes, ultimately creating a safer, stronger and more resilient community. PNECET support participants by accessing long-term sustainable activities to empower them to build on their achievements and continue reaping the benefits of employability activities. Participants will be offered support to sustain their involvement as a volunteer within Trust until a positive outcome is achieved.
For support from PNE’s Community and Education Trust through Preston’s Invest in Youth project, email Liam Sealey on liamsealey@pne.com
Individual Impact
Who are we?
As Lancashire’s social enterprise network, we are proud to lead this specialist partnership whose work will transform the futures of young people in Preston. This project is based on the successes and impacts of the Building Better Opportunities Invest In Youth project which delivered support across Lancashire for 7 years. Read more here.
This new current project is supported by The Lancashire Colleges and will combine and continue some of the valuable and impactful successes that local delivery partners have achieved over the last six years through ESIF projects, the model being an intensive Keyworker support project.
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