Supporting Care Leavers into Education, Employment or Training:
Young people in care or leaving care have the worst outcomes in life of any group. The majority leave school with no qualifications and are at greater risk of becoming homeless, offenders or teenage parents.
The Flying Fish project supports young people on to the next steps in life by opening their eyes to the possibilities in the world of work, through company tours, talks and mentored work placements. All programmes are tailored to meet individual needs.
The Youth Employability Support (YES) Project supports young people aged 15-24 to take steps towards employment.
The Flying Fish Project is one of nine local organisation and charities delivering the YES Project across Leicestershire.
Our purpose is to support local young people to overcome challenges and barriers that have prevented them from finding a job or seeking further education.
Working together as the YES Project means we can offer a range of activities and support services, tailored to an individual’s needs, which will help them to:
- Believe in themselves
- Achieve qualifications and learn new skills
- Prepare for work
Everyone enrolled on the YES Project is assigned a mentor that will support them to stay involved with the project and help them to achieve their goals.
Find out more: http://www.yesproject.org
The YES project is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and the European Social Fund and managed by Voluntary Action Leicestershire.
Work Experience Placements
Using trained mentors with the placement company, young people can experience a work environment to help them decide future career directions. On completion, they will receive an achievement certificate and a reference to help enter the world of employment.
Company Tours
To enable clients to obtain an insight into the work environment, tours are arranged to a wide range of businesses including, retail, manufacturing, local authority and restaurants. Small groups are invited to be shown all aspects of the company. Every tour includes an employability exercise such as communication, team building, timekeeping or a mock interview to prepare them for the workplace.
Next Steps
Using Business volunteers, the Flying Fish project can help with employability training, CV writing and mock interviews. The project can also help clients to make applications for apprenticeships, jobs or college and support them for interviews.
