Aims:

• To support and equip children with employability skills
• Support children to gain an Entry Level Award in Skills for Employment, Training and Personal Development (Entry 3) (QCF)

Description:
OpportuntyKnocks is a one to one intervention programme that is focused on employability skills. The programme is made up of four units over ten, one-hour sessions.
 

Unit one: Skills for Gaining Employment –provides young people an understanding of what skills they require to gain employment. This unit also includes creating CV’s, identification of employment options and preparing for interviews.

Unit two: Work Experience (children are supported to access a work experience placement in order to gain some experience in the work place)

Unit three: Health and Safety in the Workplace (this unit introduces children to health and safety laws and their responsibilities when at work)

Unit four: Employment Contracts and Payslips (Introduce children to under understand contract and payslips for when they start workin)

The programme was developed by Cumbria Specialist Youth Support Teams (CSYST) in partnership with Cumbria Youth Offending Service*.  In order for children to access the accreditation CSYST work in partnership with the National Open College Network.

Implementing the Practice:

• The programme is delivered by Cumbria Specialist Youth Support Teams
• CSYST completed training, following which they have been granted Open College Network /One Award Centre status so that they are able to provide the award for young people
•  Cumbria Specialist Youth Service YOS case managers and Targeted Youth Support are able to referchildren on the programme
•  Children that have received an Unpaid Work Orders are able to access this programme
•  The time spent by the children in creating their portfolio is deducted from their unpaid work hours
•  The Programme requires minimal resources, mainly internet access and stationery
•  The programme is delivered on a one to one with each child
•  Children are supported to gather the evidence necessary to achieve the qualification
•  It costs £20 per child to be put through for the award, this is paid by CSYS, who get their funding for this through the YJB grant.

* The County has three teams each consisting of one Specialist Youth Coordinators (Internal Verifier) and two Specialist Youth Workers (Assessors) these Teams were created to deliver Accredited Programmes of Interventions to Young People that are clients of the YOS, Targeted Youth Support (TYS) and Cumbria’s Early Help Service.

Contact Details: