Mentoring scheme helps homeless young people into education or work

Coventry City Council and Coventry University are working together to offer a programme of mentoring support to help young people who are homeless to access education and jobs.

The Your Vision Your Future scheme works with several organisations across Coventry to remove barriers to accessing education and jobs for 16 to 29-year-olds, with part-funding from the European Social Fund and support from the Youth Employment Initiative.

Participants educated below degree level will be supported to gain skills that will help them into education or employment, while those with degrees will be supported to gain skills to boost their employability.

Cllr Kindy Sandhu, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills and Research Fellow at Coventry University’s Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, said: ‘We know that in order to prevent homelessness for young people, securing stable employment is absolutely critical.

‘Not only does it boost their self-worth, it also gives them the building blocks to a future away from homelessness and the ability to secure accommodation. I welcome the collaboration between Coventry University and Coventry City Council; it is great to see two major institutions in Coventry working together for the benefit of young people in our city.’

Coventry University Outreach Manager Kayleigh Lampard added: ‘We were very keen to get involved in this project as it perfectly aligns to our values of supporting individuals from a range of backgrounds to access education and supports Widening Participation.

‘The outreach team will support them to help find out more about career pathways and education options, including finance, accommodation, and additional support to remove barriers to accessing education. We will also seek to provide support through our Fair Access Scheme, which provides reduced entry requirements to university for those who are the most disadvantaged.’

In related news, a new £1.5m skills and work programme is set to be agreed by Salford City Council, helping to provide opportunities for young people progressing into education and work and supporting businesses to create sustainable opportunities for local people.

Photo by John Schnobrich