Charitable Activity

Skills for Growth undertakes a range of activity additional to the core training we offer to ensure that our learners feel supported and encouraged to develop and progress through the career ladder.

We have a Pastoral Support Officer who is readily available to discuss any problems learners are facing. We also have a dedicated email service (ED) for learners to contact if they are not willing to discuss the issue in person. We offer a counselling service and a Sexual Health Nurse attend all our induction programmes so that learners can discuss and problems in a secure and confidential environment.

We regularly arrange excursions for our learners using the Skills for Growth minibus. These excursions include Careers Fairs, University open days and the opportunity to attend a range of different Employer environments and team building events.

Organisations we work with:

We work with a range of organisation to ensure that every young person within the community has access to join one of our programmes:
•   Our Foundations team work with the Youth Offending Team to provide opportunities to join our Foundations Programme (please see below for further information about this programme)
•   We work with a range of Autistic learners through the Business Academy Bexley explaining what our programmes entail and ensure that they feel comfortable attending our training sessions.
•   We have worked with the Visual Impairment Team to help support learners who are visually impaired. As Apprenticeships involve the learner being involved this has involved ensuring both Skills for Growth and the Employer have the facilities and systems in place to support these learners.
•   We work with the local Housing Associations and Bexley Youth Advice to help resolve any family problems learners may be facing.
•   Finally we work with a range of care homes helping to encourage and support care leavers to join our programmes.

“In Touch” Recruitment

A learner’s first stage on the process to joining Skills for Growth and gaining their new qualification is to attend one of our “In Touch” Recruitment Events. These recruitment processes have been specifically designed to introduce the learner to Skills for Growth and ensure that they are happy and committed to completing their programme. The event runs for 3 days and potential learners will undertake a range of get to know you exercises; vocational taster sessions and mock interviews with our Employer Services Team. The event will provide learners with an understanding of what the programme entails and it will also ensure that they are being entered at a level which is suitable to them. The programme content and length is then designed to meet the learner’s needs.

Foundations

We run a Foundations Programme which helps to prepare those learners who are not yet ready to enter employment or who are unsure of which path they would like to take. This programme provides a range of taster sessions in different vocational areas and they will also gain an accredited qualification in Employability Skills. Our aim is that all learners will progress onto an Apprenticeship, Further Education or Employment. Please see our Foundations pages for further information.

Enrichment

We also run an enrichment programme which supports our learners beyond their Apprenticeship highlighting the routes onto University and beyond. We work closely with AimHigher and the Student Finance Company to ensure all our learners receive as much information and support with their application to a university course. We encourage our learners to aspire to achieve their potential and to continually learn new skills and develop. We also continually arrange for Guest Speakers to attend our training session and provide motivational lectures to our learners.