Partner Article

Course enhances demand for Northumberland six

Following the success of a pilot last year, a group of students in Northumberland have taken part in a scheme to improve their employability. The programme was for students on the Entry to Employment (e2e) Motor Vehicle Training programme at Northumberland College, a scheme provided by Northumberland Training Agency (NTA). The e2e programme aims to help young people who are not yet ready or able to directly enter modern apprenticeship programmes, further education or employment.

The six young men who took part now feel they have a promising future ahead after developing their motivation, confidence, time management, basic key skills and knowledge and understanding through sampling the real world of work.

Dee Stephenson, Enterprise manager for Northumberland Strategic Partnership (NSP), said: “The young men certainly exceeded everyone’s expectations. The specially tailored course drew out the capabilities of the students and translated these into employability skills, and most importantly provided them with the confidence to use these skills.”

The students are now considering college and applying for jobs and most have already secured placements with high profile local companies including Arriva, Cramlington Ford, and Hodgson Toyota.

Anne Langton, a Director of the KSA partnership, who delivered the programme, said: “The students really surpassed our expectations. They started the programme with many barriers to getting into employment, but with a lot of hard work and dedication they have managed to overcome obstacles. Testament to their success, I am proud to say, they are now going to be mentors to the next phase of students who will be embarking on the programme.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .