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.
YES Project
Flying Fish is one of eight partners working with Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL) on a new £1.94m project that will support some of Leicester and Leicestershire’s most at risk young people.
The project, called the Youth Employability Support (YES) project, will aim to transform the futures of 400 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 who are currently the furthest from being able to move into employment.
It will focus on young people who face extra barriers to work, such as mental or physical health difficulties, homelessness, disabilities or being a carer, but it will also be open to any young person in Leicester or Leicestershire who is not in employment, education or training.
The YES project is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and the European Social Fund.
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.
