The ‘Stand Out’ Project is a National Lottery funded programme starting in the Summer 2021 to December 2022, aimed at providing unique training, volunteering and employment opportunities to disadvantaged young people across the West Midlands. Utilising the backdrop of the Commonwealth Games and the opportunities that will be created to encourage wider participation, the project will support individuals into positive outcomes. The project will provide a wrap-around support for young people prior, during and post the Games.
The Commonwealth Games is predicted to create thousands of volunteering and job opportunities. However, without focused intervention, there is a risk that these opportunities will go to people with more qualifications and experience, displacing young local people particularly those from a disadvantaged background. This project will be critical to linking local young people to new opportunities and, critically, using this experience as a catalyst to support them in their wider training and employment ambitions.
WMCA is uniquely placed to lead on this project. Working with the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC), we have established a Jobs and Skills Academy (JSA) intended to support 1000 young people / unemployed to access the volunteering opportunities created by the games with a further 6000 individuals supported in training and employment. The ‘Stand Out’ Project will be a key contributor in supporting those ambitions.
The Project Aim
- Utilise the platform of the Commonwealth Games, to not only provide unique opportunities to disadvantaged young people but equally act as a springboard to support positive pathways to further employment, education, training and volunteering opportunities.
- To ultimately support a minimum of 800 disadvantaged young people to access employment, training and volunteering opportunities through the intervention of community-based organisations.
- Supporting young people through the transition points of the Commonwealth Games volunteering programme and offering a support mechanism for those unsuccessful to secure alternative positive outcomes.
Who is Project for?
- 18-30 year olds who Have health issues and/or disabilities.
- Are Unemployed
- Or are at risk of unemployment (redundancy/Termination/Furlough) – I have been assured that we can make a case for students leaving education who have additional needs.
Delivery of the service
Young people can be engaged at any point during the project. The project will look to support individuals to engage with the volunteering and employment opportunities created by the games. Ultimately the project will also look to use the Commonwealth Games as a hook to engage young people to support them into employment, training and volunteering opportunities.
The minimum requirements for an individual customer journey are as follows:
Stage 1 – Engagement
- Engagement can occur at anytime during the project May 21 – December 22
- Upon engagement customers should receive a face to face initial assessment capturing customer information in line with barriers identified and declared.
- The Albion Foundation will be responsible for ensuring the young person is eligible.
- Each customer started on the project must complete and sign the registration paperwork.
- The assessment should be sufficient to determine a full picture of the customer’s employability needs, taking account of their prior education, work history, social circumstances, and similar factors.
- Each customer will have a documented action plan. As a minimum this should contain: Aspirations, Customer Background, Perceived Barriers to Employment, with agreed actions to address those barriers and next steps.
- Whilst the customer is on the project there should always be at least one open barrier with an agreed action.
Exit Routes
- CG22 volunteers – Interviews in September
- Employment – (supported for 13 weeks)
- Volunteer opportunities – Albion cares (Albion Foundation internal and external)
- Kickstart
- Traineeships
- Apprenticeships
How can you support The Albion Foundation with this project?
The Albion Foundation would like you as one of our close partners to support us in identifying potential customers to be part of this new project.
What happens next?
- We will then invite you in to explain further regarding the project and support them with the application forms.
- Give them a Commonwealth Games 2022 priority passcode to enter the first stage of the volunteering programme.
- Each customer will have bi weekly contact time with the Albion Foundation.