Students and graduates in North Wales who face barriers to progression within the workplace will become entrepreneurs and run projects within the community under a new £500,000 initiative designed to boost their employability.
Glyndŵr University devised the new scheme with more than 30 employers and third sector organisations after discovering that students with additional needs were less likely to gain employment after graduating.
The projects – currently being finalised – will give students and graduates training in skills such as mentoring, leadership, project management, enterprise and confidence-building.
Designed to be mutually beneficial to both students and the local community, it is hoped that some of the projects will eventually become social enterprises.
Funding was secured through £493,730 from the Big Lottery Fund for the project, which will run from July 2014 to June 2017.
Scope, the North West Regional Equality Network (NWREN), Wrexham County Borough Council and Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations (PAVO) are among the third sector organisations which will help to deliver the scheme.
Rachel Lacey, commercial and collaborative bids executive at Glyndŵr University, said: “The project is all about bringing added value for students so that they can get the most out of their degree in terms of securing employment when they leave.
“Very often people are grouped together by disability but a key part of this scheme is bringing people with additional needs together to work on projects of common interest.
“We are using the term additional needs very loosely as we recognise that many people face some form of barrier to development, not matter what that might be.”
The initiative, called A Degree of Responsibility – Developing Community Role Models, contains four strands of activity.
These are a structured programme of confidence-building community activities; a mentoring chain reaction scheme which will see students work in local schools and colleges; a ‘Chance for Equality’ conference which will showcase ability and success by people with additional needs; and a new approach to equality, diversity and inclusion training and awareness.
“We are trying to develop our community presence across North Wales and the project will hopefully achieve this by connecting with people in a meaningful way,” added Rachel.
“We want to create a system of opportunities which is sustainable beyond the scope of the project which is mutually beneficial to those with additional needs, employers and third sector organisations.”
The project is open to all students and graduates of any university with additional needs in North Wales. For more information contact Rachel Lacey at [email protected].
