At asphaleia training we provide employability programmes for young people aged 16-18 not in education or employment, who are living in West Sussex. These programmes enable YP who have had difficulty achieving qualifications in mainstream education to learn in a smaller, supportive setting.
They can gain, not only functional skills qualifications in maths and English (GCSE grade C equivalent) but also employability skills to help them get a job. Here is a story about a student who recently joined us on our Make Trax engagement programme.
negative experiences in mainstream education
R started with asphaleia in February 2020 and had been out of education for almost a year. R faced many challenges at home and previous experiences with education had been quite negative. They found the large class sizes and busy environment difficult to manage. This meant that R was apprehensive about re-joining the classroom so first engaged with our Make Trax project doing 1-1 sessions with one of our project workers.
Throughout the five weeks they were on Make Trax they explored and overcame challenges around confidence and self-esteem and were given the time to familiarise themselves with the building, staff, and other students through being introduced to our student ambassador.
other areas of support
R had a lot of barriers at home and with their mental health challenges and found it difficult to leave the house at the beginning. R was also offered 1-1 telephone support with our mental health worker, Sally, who continues to support R on a weekly basis.
now sitting exams
R has now moved into the classroom to start learning maths, English, and employability. Everyone who knows R has commented on how their attitude and outlook has changed over the past few months. Although R still sometimes underestimates their ability, they are now working towards sitting entry level functional skills exams next week!
R has done incredibly well to progress so much in such a short space of time and all the staff are so proud of their progress. We have no doubts that R will continue to thrive at asphaleia and work towards achieving their dream career in construction in the future!
To find out more about our training projects, please click here.