Leicester and Leicestershire Careers Hub has been awarded £450,000 to scale a successful project working with teenagers with special educational needs or disabilities.
Three years ago, Leicester and Leicestershire was one of 10 areas nationally to be selected for investment through a £2 million fund offering targeted support for disadvantaged young people during key points of career transition.
Leicester and Leicestershire invested its £250,000 on developing a We Discover pilot project designed to meet the needs of 14 to 17-year-olds with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) as they move from school into further education or work.
The success of the pilot has seen Leicester and Leicestershire now become one of only five areas to be awarded further investment. It is the only Midlands-based careers hub to win the Phase 2 funding, which is provided by JP Morgan through the Careers and Enterprise Company.
Phoebe Dawson, Director of Leicester and Leicestershire Business & Skills Partnership, welcomed the opportunity to build on We Discover through the extension, which runs to 2027.
“It’s fantastic that our Careers Hub has the evidence base to demonstrate that investing in effective, progressive, and long-term targeted careers interventions for disadvantaged young people makes measurable changes to sustained destinations,” she said.
Phase 1 of the local project focussed on 90 young people as they prepared for the transition to ‘post-16 destinations’ such as college, apprenticeships, or work-based learning. Phase 2 will work with 300 young people.
Research had shown that several barriers were preventing local young people with SEND from progressing into such destinations. These included hard-to-access information about options, lack of time to explore the options, and employers’ misconceptions about young people with SEND accessing Education, Employment, and Training (EET).
We Discover reported success outcomes across a host of measures over two years. It tested new approaches including 1-2-1 sessions between pupils and career advisers, and pupil-focussed work experience placements ranging from fully fledged placements to one-day visits.
By the end of Phase 1 of the We Discover project:
- 85% of pupils had ideas about jobs that matched their interests and skills – an increase of more than a quarter;
- More than three-quarters of pupils felt it was easy for them to do what was required to carry on in education or training after school – up 45%;
- About half of pupils reported having found employers and organisations relevant to their career interests – up by 44%.
Hollie, a pupil at West Gate School, in Leicester, said: “I discovered a lot of different things, like new jobs that I didn’t know of and different things that you could use that are useful for your future.”
Gerarde Manley, Careers Hub Manager, said: “Young people now better understand their strengths, skills and interests and how they might be relevant to further learning and work.
“As we work with local businesses to embrace more inclusive recruitment practices, they are looking at the talent pipeline among these motivated young people.
“We are very proud of this project and the additional funding means we are now able to scale it.”
The Careers Hub is now looking to speak with local employers about getting involved with Phase 2 of We Discover (email businessboard@leicester.gov.uk).
