Back on Track

1. Back on Track ESF Youth Programme for young people aged 14-19. Janet Bywater – Head of Business Innovation and Enterprise

2. Aim To support young people from Olympic Host Boroughs identified as at risk of becoming NEET, through a customised programme aimed at supporting them to continue engagement in education , employment or training, which must be sustained for two full terms.

3. Eligibility / Priority Groups Participant must be in full time education(Studying for a minimum of 12 GLH for at least 10 weeks or an apprentice aged 14- 19) Those already classed as NEETS are ineligible to take part in this project. ESF requirements also apply (e.g. Legal residency and right to work). A minimum of 80% of young people supported must be resident of the specified cluster area and at least 10% must be enrolled from each Borough, LBBD, Hackney, Greenwich, Newham, Tower Hamlets & Waltham Forest.

4. Indicators for assessing those at risk of becoming NEET. Learners are referred to the project by their tutor when assessed as being at risk of leaving their programme and possibly becoming NEET. Learners are referred using one or more of the following indicators. The referral is then ratified by our borough’s 14 -19 Team.

5. Project Process Referral Verification of referral Induction Non Accredited Training Mentoring Sustained Outcome

6. Designing our Programme To improve retention we delivered the project to our own students. Although at BDC we have comprehensive support for all students we felt that those who may struggle to make the transition from school to college would benefit from the additional support the project allows us to provide. After considerable research we decided to deliver GOALS UK which is a short, sharp intervention that gets individuals to think, feel and behave differently to ensure that they are motivated and ready to make the most of training. Individuals learn how to build healthy positive self-esteem, understand their personal motivations and to take responsibility for their futures. Participants are empowered with the self-belief and enthusiasm they need to move their lives forward.

7. Designing our Programme Induction The rationale for the project was for the learners to understand how and why setting themselves targets and goals could assist them to improve their motivation and give them the focus required to succeed. We arranged for Lee McQueen who is a motivational speaker and former winner of series 4 of The Apprentice TV Programme to deliver a presentation detailing how by setting himself long and short term targets he has gone on to be extremely successful, leaving his £100,000 a year job working for Lord Sugar to set up his own company, Raw Talent Academy. The young people taking part in the project really related to Lee McQueen and following Lee’s presentation they met with him in groups and discussed how they would set themselves goals and targets.

8. Mentoring Once the young person has completed the non accredited training, the counting of the retention can commence at the beginning of the next term. A mentor is put in place for each participant of the project they meet or speak to their mentor fortnightly to review their action plan and targets. The mentor is also accredited to deliver GOALS UK, so also reinforces this programme during mentoring sessions to keep the young people focused.

9. Project’s Successes To date over 90% of the project’s participants have been retained on their course. Some of the targets /goals participants have set themselves and are working towards are: PH Is starting to address poor punctuality. RS Is using strategies learnt through GOALS UK to think first rather than resorting to violence. CV Has reviewed his career goals and feels more focused. MW Has seen his doctor to ask for support to stop smoking. JW Has re-joined the gym and is focusing on becoming more healthy. CC Feels his confidence has improved AH Is focused on moving his life forward and feels ready to let go of the past and the trauma of parents splitting up.