A community group in Glasgow’s east end has helped more than 200 people advance to further training, education or employment over the past year, via its latest career development programme.
FARE Scotland provides a number of initiatives to help reduce poverty and transform the lives of local people in the community, including training. Over the last financial year, the charity has supported more than 200 people aged 16-24 to develop skills and gain a combined 350 qualifications.
The organisation’s employability programme was supported by a £20,000 funding grant awarded to the charity through the Glasgow Community Anchors’ Fund – a partnership between the HFD Charitable Foundation and Virgin Money Foundation.
The courses covered sectors such as sport, hospitality, retail, early years education and hair and beauty with young people taking part in sessions to help build confidence, work on team building, and develop their CVs and interview skills.
From the latest cohort, 73 people have gone on to further or higher education, 42 have re-engaged with school after a period of absence, and 35 are taking part in additional training courses or modern apprenticeships. 30 young people have gone straight into the world of work or volunteering, while another 20 are still involved with FARE’s programmes.
Bernie Devlin, employability manager at FARE Scotland, said, “Each year our employability scheme grows to support more young people in the area to achieve what we call positive destinations – whether that’s employment, further training or education. The success of the latest programme is testament to the commitment and hard work of the more than 200 young people who took part, as well as our team of tutors, who make such a positive impact on the lives of our participants and their families.”
Kat Ovenden, trustee of the HFD Charitable Foundation, added, “FARE’s careers programme opens the door to a range of employment and training opportunities for young people that will help them to build a successful future and it is great to see such positive outcomes from the latest cohort.”
Kate Bradley, executive director (maternity cover) at the Virgin Money Foundation, commented, “FARE Scotland is a brilliant example of a local community organisation seeking to make positive change and working to reduce poverty and transform lives for young people.”
