Photo: Dwain Mogan, Head of Business at Plymouth Argyle Trust with two of his student mentees at Discovery College
Plymouth City Council and YMCA Plymouth are working in partnership to help people access the right training and skills they need to get into work, thanks to funding secured from the UK Government through their joint application to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Capital investment has also been announced for Discovery College, which will fund the refurbishment of the college facilities including new smart screens, classroom furniture and much more.
The project, ‘Skilling up Plymouth’, focuses on giving people the confidence and skills needed to access the city’s growing employment opportunities. At the heart of this work is a new team of three Skills and Workforce Coordinators employed by the Council working with a new Mentoring Programme Coordinator employed by YMCA Plymouth who will expand their ‘My Future’ Mentoring programme to schools across Plymouth.
Local residents, including those who are economically inactive and young people looking to take their next steps, will be supported to transition into employment by enhancing their access to high value jobs and career pathways.
The project will also focus more on retaining and attracting new talent to support local skills needs. Support will be available for higher education students and graduates, as well as members of the Armed Forces community.
Councillor Sally Cresswell, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Apprenticeships said: “We’re excited to work with the YMCA Plymouth team, who are already community champions in their own right, to help more local people access the opportunities that are available here in Plymouth. The new team will work together to support local residents who may be socially excluded or economically inactive, as well as those looking for new careers, by linking them with employers and education or training providers to improve employability and progression into employment in our key sectors, helping to reduce the city’s skills shortages and fill critical job vacancies.
“We recognise the value that mentoring can provide for young people and are particularly excited to be able to expand this offer in partnership with YMCA Plymouth, offering more targeted support from both the YMCA site and Skills Launchpad Plymouth’s Youth Hub in the city centre.”
Tom Lavis, CEO of YMCA Plymouth said: “This project is all about supporting local people of all ages to gain confidence and skills so that they can make the most of the thousands of job opportunities that are available here in Plymouth. As a charity that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and with Discovery College’s post-16 provision being a big part of our offer to the local community, we are excited to be working with the Skills team at Plymouth City Council to upscale our existing mentoring programme so it can benefit more young people aged 16 to 24-years-old in the city.
“Likewise, through the capital investment committed through this fund, we are delighted to be improving the facilities at our Honicknowle site which will make a real difference to our learners and service users now, as well as leaving a lasting legacy to benefit the wider community for many years after the completion of this project.”
Can you be a volunteer mentor to help guide young people? We’re looking for mentors to volunteer a small amount of time each month to give young people informal career support by sharing their own experiences and knowledge. No prior mentoring or youth work experience is required. You simply need to be enthusiastic about supporting young people and sharing your own knowledge and experiences.
To find out more about the programme and how to get involved, come along to our free launch event on 12th June 2024. Click here to sign up now.
To access support through the Skilling Up Plymouth project, please email skillslaunchpad@plymouth.gov.uk or visit www.skillslaunchpadplym.co.uk to sign up for 1:1 support.
