An award-winning community project that gives young people the skills to better their life chances is celebrating 10 years of helping residents to achieve their potential.
Working Roots is a full-time work-based training scheme developed by North Tyneside Council’s Adult Learning Service and Justice Prince Community Interest Company which gives opportunities to young people who struggle with education and employment.
In 2013, the first cohort of students started their journey with the Council’s property and maintenance teams and this September, the eleventh group of trainees will embark on their training.
The scheme was designed to engage young people from disadvantaged areas in the world of employment, giving them hands-on experience in a paid role for twelve months to build their skills and confidence.
It’s all about giving 16 to 18-year-olds the chance to find their feet in employment by teaching them skills in areas such as fencing, gardening, painting, decorating, and cleaning while getting their essential qualifications including maths and English.
Over the past ten years, the scheme has supported local young people and a recent ceremony celebrated this amazing achievement and achievements of the 20 trainees on the current 10th Working Roots programme.
Council leaders and representatives from Justice Price and Kier Group, who was an initial partner on the scheme, gathered to share their memories of the programme so far and to celebrate everything that has been achieved in the last decade.
Karen Clark, Chief Officer of Justice Prince said “We’re so proud of our Working Roots programme which was developed in direct response to the needs and lived experience of excluded young people. The voice of young people has remained central throughout the past 10 years which is one of the key reasons it has proved so successful in supporting young people to transform their lives”.
They heard the stories of trainees who have overcome barriers and improved their lives going on to have brilliant careers including working across the country in places like London and Cornwall.
“It gave me the opportunity to do hard physical labour which is what I am doing to this day on the railway. With help and positive influence from the staff they really change my life from being a reprobate to a hard-working young man.”
Julie Cruddas, Development Director of Justice Prince and Working Roots Learning Mentor, said: “It’s a real privilege to be part of the transformational journey of these young people, to witness the change they undergo from starting at age 16yrs and progressing into adulthood and many still keep in touch”.
Dame Norma Redfearn DBE, Elected Mayor of North Tyneside, was delighted to be at the event to present certificates to the young people. She said: “10 years ago when I was elected to my position as Mayor, one of the very first projects that we got off the ground was Working Roots and what a brilliant journey it’s been on since then.
“Helping young people to achieve their potential has always been one of my biggest passions, and I’m extremely proud that ten years on this programme continues to transform young people’s lives by giving them the care, nurture, and skills they need to enter the world of employment with confidence.
“Working Roots is a truly fantastic display of how partnerships between organisations can create opportunities for our residents and a scheme like this could never have been delivered by just one of us.
“As we celebrate this milestone, I’d like to take the opportunity to thank each and every person who has been involved with the transformational programme over past ten years for the commitment and passion they’ve shown these young people. I look forward to continuing to see the scheme benefit our residents for years to come.”
Working Roots has won awards including TPAS 2018 awards and NTC Adult Learning Service young person and group of the year winners.
